Dust and Echoes
by trestwho
Summary: After a successful mission, a UNSC fleet makes a random slipspace jump only to come across an uncharted system containing a sliver of humanity, one with seemingly no connection to Earth and whose natural abilities defy reason. In a galaxy full of terrifying dangers, the UNSC and Remnant must work together to defend all they know from annihilation.
1. Prologue

**Dust and Echoes**

_Oum System, Remnant_

_15:43 Hours_

_Beacon Academy, Kingdom of Vale_

"Move, move, move!" Ruby heard someone shout over the cacophony around her. She already was by the time the order was given, her team right behind her. Everything was chaotic now as hundreds of terrified students and civilians rushed for safety. Explosions and gunfire drew closer and closer, each flash followed by fresh screams coming from both close and afar.

"Guys, come on! We need to get over there!" Ruby insisted as she weaved through the sea of people separating her from the battle.

"We know, Ruby! Not everyone is as fast as you!" Weiss indignantly replied, Myrtenaster in hand as she quickly slotting in vials of Dust.

"Well, you should!" Ruby's retort was followed by a large, blue explosion going off next to her, sending a wave of heat washing over her body. A few unlucky souls who were caught directly in the fireball were incinerated instantly, while others were able to dive away with burns. Team RWBY was far enough away so that their Aura took the brunt of it, but they still hissed at the heat.

"Dammit!" Yang cursed, loading Ember Celica with fresh eight-gauge shells. Blake scowled next to her, her feline ears twitching as they picked up faint sounds of the ground sizzling where the mortar struck. At the same time, she began to hear a now-recognizable warbling sound. With wide eyes, she saw yet another blue mortar arcing through the air, striking a dormitory wall and exploding on contact. Burnt brick and glass rained from above, scattering anyone underneath, while she saw a trio of people flail as their skin melted off their bones.

"Blake, come on!" Yang snapped the Faunus out of her trance by shaking her shoulder urgently. With a shake of her head, Blake spared one final glance at the ruined building and steeled her gaze. The two partners then turned around and ran after Ruby and Weiss, who were far ahead of them by now. At the same time, Blake loaded a fresh magazine into Gambol Shroud, determined to quickly put them into use.

As Team RWBY drew closer and closer to the battle, the crowds of panicking people began to thin, only to be replaced by swarming soldiers, marines, and Atlesian Knights wielding various weapons. Some were armed with assault rifles, others with precision weapons and explosive launchers. They exchanged fire with the enemy, ducking behind cover as blue and green balls of liquid fire shot towards them. Next to them, RWBY saw a few Huntsmen and Huntresses join the fight, several of which they recognized as their fellow students. Among them were Teams CFVY and JNPR, Coco firing Gianduja into the hordes of enemies while Pyrrha fired precision shots from Miló. Nora was firing grenades from Magnhild deep into concentrated spots filled with invaders, with Jaune and Yatsuhashi further down the line with Fox, Velvet, and Ren aiming to engage the enemy up close.

"When do these guys _end_?!" Coco complained as she continued to fire her minigun, using her Semblance to boost the power of its Dust-infused rounds. True to her word, the seemingly unending, multicolored horde of enemies didn't seem to cease. Before them was just a sea of small, armored arthropods wearing orange, crimson, or green armor. A few black-armored ones could be seen here or there, but they were easily drowned out.

"They don't, that's the point! They're just cannon fodder!" Weiss pointed out as she summoned a glyph in front of them, forming an ice wall just as another volley of fire came towards them. The ice melted and hissed as steam rose into the atmosphere, joining the black smoke that filled the air in heavy smog. Ruby nodded appreciatively towards her partner, then she extended Crescent Rose into its full length, chambered a round, and used her Semblance to disappear into a flurry of red rose petals. She rose into the air up to a higher vantage point, and once she was satisfied, she laid prone along a support beam and aimed.

Ruby was able to see almost the entire battle from here, she realized as she focused her attention through her scope. Almost all of Beacon was surrounded by this point, being enclosed in an ever-tightening circle. The invaders were almost entirely composed of the small arthropods, but she could see several other species in the mix. She saw thin avianoids fire their weapons from behind their shields as well as great armored behemoths in blue armor that covered their orange flesh using massive shields to tank heavy rounds from Paladins. Or at least attempting to; from what she could see, one or two shots from a Paladin's energy cannon or missile pods were enough to put one of the behemoths down, but there were so many of them that the number of Paladins had drastically dropped since the beginning of the battle. But Ruby was most focused on their leaders. They were tall, wearing simple yet ornate armor that covered most of their body. She wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying as they barked orders towards their troops, but Ruby didn't care. She recognized leaders when she saw them, and so she aimed Crescent Rose at an exposed head and fired.

The invader's body flickered blue as something surrounding it seemed to break, and the head exploded in a cloud of purple gore and bone. Ruby quickly fired another shot, killing another before the rest dived into cover, preventing her from getting any more. She cursed under her breath just as a few of the avianoids wielding long rifles noticed her position and aimed. With wide eyes, Ruby rolled off the support beam just as needle-thin beams shot where she had been just seconds before. A few attempted to follow her, but Ruby burst away before they could get an accurate shot.

When she got to the ground, she found herself almost immediately under fire. Weiss' hastily erected wall was quickly coming apart from the enemy fire, and the soldiers and Huntsmen were attempting to retreat. Overhead, she heard the whine of enemy aircraft conduct strafing runs against them, sending green explosives hurtling towards a squadron of soldiers. Seeing this, Yang's eyes turned red as she finished punching in the face of an enemy leader in order to grab a discarded rocket launcher. The purple, bulbous aircraft was making its way for another pass, and Yang quickly loaded fresh tubes before aiming. As the targeting reticle began to lock on to the fighter's heat signature, Yang's finger hovered over the trigger.

"Chew on this, you alien son-of-a-bitch," Yang hissed once the rocket was fully locked on. She immediately fired the heat-seeking missile, which the aircraft attempted to roll away from. The clip of the wing was caught, however, shredding it and causing the alien aircraft to careen to the ground below, exploding in a ball of purple fire deep behind enemy lines. At the same time, Weiss erected a smaller earthen wall, allowing soldiers to fire from behind cover once again.

That did little to stop them, however, as the horde continued to advance. At the same time, Ruby began to hear a new sound. Animalistic roars and shrieks began to join the gunfire and explosions, and she couldn't help but notice as much of the alien fire began to turn their focus from them to the newly arrived monsters native to Ruby's home.

"Man," Nora noted as she reloaded Magnhild, watching as the rest of her team and team CFVY joined them, "never thought I'd be happy to see the Grimm."

"You and me both, Nora," Blake replied, only for her ears to twitch as she heard a faint footstep. She shot around, looking for the source, and only to see a faint blurry outline standing behind Ruby. She didn't have time to shout a warning, and so she simply aimed Gambol Shroud and began to fire. Ruby ducked as the semi-armor piercing rounds ricocheted off the alien's shield, disrupting its active camouflage at the same time. Now fully exposed, the alien roared through its four mandibles as it quickly pulled out a small sphere from a compartment located on its hip, thumbed the top of the device to cause it to erupt into a ball of blue flame, then threw it towards the reorienting Huntsmen-In-Training. The device stuck to the ground in front of Blake, and with wide eyes she dove away from the ensuing explosion, the shockwave propelling her forward with flailing arms. More grenades followed, sending the humans scattering for cover, but before any could retaliate, the alien grabbed the edge of Ruby's hood and forcibly yanked her closer to it, then hurled her body through a glass window into the ruined cafeteria behind them.

Ruby tumbled across the ground, Crescent Rose's collapsed frame still held tightly in her hands as she rolled backwards onto her feet. Digging in her heels, she grinded against the ground for a few seconds, and when she stopped, she narrowed her eyes towards the alien who was now jumping through the shattered glass with its plasma rifle held high. She aimed and fired a single shot, but to her surprise, the alien's energy shield proved to be much more durable than she had anticipated. The 14.5x114mm round ricocheted off the shields, implanting into a wall beside the alien who then fired its plasma rifle towards the Huntress-In-Training. Ruby burst away in a cloud of rose petals, repositioning herself to the alien's flank and aiming Crescent Roe again. This time, she aimed towards the plasma rifle, firing a shot into the weapon's frame and carving a neat hole into its top prong. Hot plasma seeped out of the wound, forcing the alien to hurl it away while also tossing another grenade towards Ruby. She burst away, but when she reformed, she felt a hot, heavy blow slam against her chest.

"Gagh!" Ruby shrieked as she stumbled back, clutching her chest as the alien pocketed its plasma pistol. With heavy breaths, Ruby watched as the alien pulled out a silver rod that it gripped tightly in its four-fingered hand. Then, with a quick squeeze, the rod ignited into a two-pronged sword made of pure, shaped plasma energy. It roared a challenge towards her as its shields visibly recharged, and Ruby mentally tallied the number of shots left in Crescent Rose's magazine. If she remembered correctly, she only had one shot left, and she knew it wasn't enough to break the alien's energy shield. As she wondered what to do, the alien roared a challenge, and Ruby quickly decided to meet it as she shifted Crescent Rose into its scythe configuration. In the background, she could hear the sounds of intense fighting, this time much closer than before. Her friends' and sister's shouts could be heard as they were clearly trying to make their way towards her, but the explosions and plasma fire told Ruby that they were being considerably delayed by alien reinforcements.

'_No matter. I can do this myself,_' Ruby thought, resting the top of her scythe blade on the ground behind her back as she crouched down in preparation for the fight to come. The alien seemed pleased at this, spreading its mandibles in what Ruby could only assume to be smile, and the two warriors circled each other to size the other up. Then, at the same time, they stopped then charged towards each other, Ruby in a burst of rose petals and the alien with a few mighty steps of its digitigrade legs. Ruby reformatted in front of the alien, already swinging Crescent Rose towards its head, but the alien skillfully ducked while swinging its energy sword horizontally towards Ruby's gut. She backed away, not wanting to be hit by the energy sword even if she was confident her Aura, even when partially depleted by an overcharged plasma pistol shot, could take the blow. The Wargames simulations proved those things can hurt and kill when given the chance, and Ruby had no intention of giving that chance to her opponent.

She swung Crescent Rose again, this time extending the scythe blade behind the alien's body before pulling it back quickly, intending to cut the alien in half. Instead, as Crescent Rose went behind the alien's back, it anticipated Ruby's actions and backflipped behind the outer edge of the scythe, causing Ruby to bite back a curse. Pulling back her weapon, Ruby charged forward again, leaning back and sliding on her knees underneath a sword thrust while she retaliated with an upward swing of the back end of her weapon. This time the attack made contact, upper-cutting the alien and sending it's head rearing back. Then, before Ruby could even think of following through, the alien violently kicked Ruby in the chest, knocking the air from her lungs and sending her flying back into a partially destroyed pillar.

"Oof!" she grunted as she fell onto her butt. Briefly rubbing her back where she slammed into the stone, she eyed the recovering alien while rising to her feet. Her mind raced. Clearly, even with her Aura, the alien was both stronger and more experienced than herself. Someone such as Yang or Nora could match or even surpass the alien in pure, raw power, but that was never Ruby's strength. That came from her speed and maneuverability, which she could tell was far superior to that of the alien warrior standing before her with its energy sword at the ready. If she was going to beat this thing, she had by play her rules, not its.

With that in mind, Ruby raced forward again, at first only running as the alien met her head-on. Before their weapons could clash, however, Ruby burst into petals and came around to the alien's back, swinging her weapon at the same time. Just before the scythe could make contact, the alien swung around and parried the strike, punching Ruby in the face at the same time with enough force to send her reeling back. It followed through with another swing, this time vertical, but Ruby moved to the side in a quick burst of petals and sliced Crescent Rose into the alien swordsman's gut. To her displeasure, the creature's energy shield crackled while repelling the strike, but the alien did back away to put some distance between them. Ruby refused to let that happen, instead bursting towards the alien to swing Crescent Rose once again.

To her shock, however, the alien anticipated her movement. For as she reappeared, she quickly had to burst away lest she be stabbed with the energy sword. It followed the petals as she reformatting, causing a glancing strike to hit her side. Intense heat travelled up her body from where the blade made contact, and Ruby had to bite back tears as she moved away. As much as Aura worked to prevent physical damage, it did little to alleviate the pain, and as she was finding, the real deal was magnitudes higher than anything Wargames prepared her for. Still, she pressed on, slamming Crescent Rose into the alien's right shoulder in an effort to possibly dislodge its weapon.

Its grip was too tight, however, and the alien then shoulder rushed Ruby in retaliation. She stumbled back, barely managing to stay on her feet, but the alien didn't give her a chance to recover as it was charging her again. Ruby swung Crescent Rose towards the alien's legs, but to her surprise, it didn't try to jump away. Instead, in a quick, deft motion borne from years of practice and experience, it ducked and grabbed Crescent Rose's shaft as the blade passed overhead. With wide eyes, Ruby tried to pull her weapon, away, but its grip was too great. It wouldn't budge, and her wide, silver eyes stared in silent shock into the alien's amber glare. With a mighty tug, the alien pulled Ruby towards itself, violently kicking her away while keeping its grip on Crescent Rose. The blow was enough to loosen her grip, and she felt Crescent Rose slip from her fingers as she flew back and hit a still-intact wooden table, shattering it into thousands of tiny splinters. Her Aura flickering dangerously, Ruby struggled to her feet, only to feel a tight grip clasp around her throat and lift her into the air effortlessly.

"Ruby!" she heard someone shout, but Ruby was focused on the alien before her. Its shield flickered as it tried to recharge, but the alien itself didn't seem to care. It roared into her face, its four mandibles opening large to where she could gaze down its throat, then it reared its sword back for one final thrust. Ruby kicked and punched with all her might, but it was no use. The alien wouldn't budge, yet still Ruby fought on with her all her might. The alien seemed impressed by this, and prepared to end the fight while Ruby screamed defiantly into its face.

Suddenly, a large bang sounded that struck the alien's back. Surprised, it turned around just as another shot broke the shield. From the corner of her eye, still being held captive by the alien, Ruby saw a dark-skinned marine sergeant wearing green armor walking towards the alien wielding nothing but a pump-action shotgun.

"How ya' doing?" the sergeant asked as he chambered a shell, then fired another round straight into its chest. Then, to Ruby's relief, ice began to expand from the point of contact, quickly freezing the alien before it could so much as attempt to fire on the man. Ruby quickly broke the frozen arm holding her aloft off the alien's body, giving the sergeant space to fire another round into its head, shattering it and leaving the body intact like a macabre ice sculpture. Breathing heavily, Ruby watched as the sergeant nodded to himself appreciatively, then attached his shotgun to the magnetic holster on his back before walking over to lend Ruby a hand.

"Come on, Rubes," the sergeant said as he helped Ruby up to her feet. "A little-near death experience from a squidhead ain't enough to keep you down!"

"I know, Uncle Avery," Ruby groaned as she picked up Crescent Rose. She then saw a flight of Pelicans touch down near them, depositing fresh marines as Hornets joined Bullheads in raining fire down on the invaders below. Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson merely chuckled to himself and ruffled his honorary niece's hair, much to Ruby's consternation, just as the rest of Team RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY rejoined them.

"Uncle A! Nice of you to finally show up," Yang said, a mirthful smile on her face. "And you brought the cavalry? I guess this makes up for the fact that you missed my birthday this year. Almost."

"I know, and my bleeding-heart aches every time I think about that travesty," Johnson began, motioning for a Pelican to deposit its load next to them. With a heavy clang, a large vehicle was plopped onto the ground, allowing Johnson to step on top of it while drawing all attention towards him. "But you see, Yang, I found a way to make it up to you. Now, when I was a young boy, my mama told me 'Avery J. Johnson, when you become an adult, I'm going to give you a car.' And so, when I turned 18, she kept her word (because she was a classy lady) and got me a car. But not just any car. No, she wanted her little boy to be safe, and as any green-blooded marine will tell you, nothing is better, more luxurious, more high-class, and tougher than an M12 Warthog!"

"OORAH!" an assortment of marines rushing towards the battle lines yelled out in agreement, lifting everyone's spirits while causing Yang to get giddy, but Johnson wasn't done.

"But now, 51 years later, times have changed. The galaxy's a much more dangerous place. You never know what nefarious, inhuman alien bastard might pop his head from around the corner. So, as much as I loved my precious Hog, I instead chose to follow my beloved mama's footsteps and get my honorary niece the safest, most powerful automotive in the UNSC armory.

"Yang," Johnson announced as he gestured towards the vehicle below him, "say hello to your brand new, fresh off the lot M808C Scorpion Main Battle Tank! This here is 66 tons of titanium-ceramic armor plating, capable of surviving the toughest, meanest firepower the Covenant has to offer! With its 90mm M512 main cannon, you can take out the toughest of Covenant armor, and if you're wanting to take your friends out on a night on the town, it has room for four passengers and a single gunner along the M247T coaxial machine gun!"

"Oh. My. God," Yang breathed out as Johnson hopped off the tank and patted her on the shoulder.

"Go ahead, little lady. Take her on a test drive," Johnson said. Yang didn't need to be told twice as she practically jumped onto the tank, opening up the cockpit and hooking her neural lace into the onboard electronics. She heard the engine roar and the Scorpion vibrate, and she couldn't help but start laughing as a warm, pleasant sensation filled her soul.

"Oh, yeah!" Yang declared as she began to drive the Scorpion forward, plowing through the remains of the ice wall. As she began to fire its main gun towards the alien army, Johnson turned towards the rest of the platoon.

"Now, for the rest of you!" Johnson barked. "I want to make sure that my niece's night on the town is some nice, clean fun! So, pack your bags, boys and girls, cuz' you're going with her to roll across that field and blow up any inhuman son-of-a-bitch that's dumb enough to get in her way. AM I RIGHT, MARINES?!"

"SIR, YES SIR!" the marines shouted in reply. Thinking back to the Month from Hell when Johnson took over combat training from Glynda Goodwitch, the Huntsmen students couldn't help but shout as well. Then, almost at once, the soldiers, Huntsmen, and Huntresses ran out to face the aliens head-on, leaving Johnson and Ruby behind. Johnson tilted his head to face Ruby with an inquisitive gaze, already knowing why she was still there instead of joining the fight.

"Um, Uncle Avery?" Ruby quietly asked, fidgeting slightly and rubbing her hands together. "Since, you know, _my_ birthday is coming up, did you, you know…"

Johnson couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "As a matter of fact, I did. Right this way."

Johnson led Ruby towards a large case being held by another marine, who handed it off to Sergeant Johnson before running off to join the others. The sergeant then turned around to face Ruby, opening it up to reveal a large, smoothly contoured, shoulder-mounted cannon.

"Now, you don't know or want to know how many requisitions it took to get this, but feast your eyes, my fellow aficionado of fine weaponry, on the Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle." Johnson handed the cannon towards Ruby, helping her mount it on her shoulder where the olive-green metal split horizontally to reveal a semi-transparent tube as wide as a fist, and pointed her attention towards a passing alien fighter.

"Now, see that Banshee?" Johnson asked, to which Ruby nodded. "Just keep your gift trained on it and hold down the trigger."

"'Kay!" Ruby excitedly replied, doing as instructed. At first, nothing happened beyond the flickering of a small targeting laser coming out of the central cylinder. But, with each passing moment, the laser grew larger and the whine of the battery grew louder before finally a large, intense red laser beam erupted out of the Spartan Laser and struck the unsuspecting Banshee in the central hull at the speed of light. It exploded into a ball of purple fire, and Johnson smiled proudly as he patted Ruby's shoulder.

"So, what do you think?" he asked. Ruby didn't answer, and at first, Johnson thought she wasn't saying anything. But then he began to hear something faint, and he soon realized that it was the sound of Ruby squealing so high-pitched that it was barely audible to the human ear. When Ruby finally noticed that all eyes were on her, however, she stopped herself and nodded. She then looked around, quickly finding her Uncle Qrow disembarking from a freshly arrived Pelican dropship, wearing his black and silver ARTEMIS armor, and she focused on him. When he noticed her gaze and stopped to look at her, Ruby began to speak while clutching the Spartan Laser tightly.

"Uncle Qrow, I'm sorry but Uncle Avery has officially replaced you as the coolest uncle," she declared. Then, without saying another word, Ruby disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, leaving behind a victorious Johnson and a resigned Qrow sighing in chagrin.

"Eh, I'll figure something out to top that," Qrow muttered to himself before rushing out. Johnson nodded towards his brother-in-arms, then faced the remainder of the troops.

"Now, all you greenhorns who wanted to see Covenant up close? This is your lucky day!"

* * *

_Seropian System, Holy City of High Charity_

_Council Chambers_

Never before, in all his years, had Thel 'Vadamee seen the Council Chamber aboard High Charity in such a ruckus. San'Shyuum and Sangheili councilors were shouting over the others' heads, their ire aimed towards a lone Jiralhanae standing before the High Prophets. The Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret seemed willing to let this commotion continue for the moment, but Thel only wished for it to end. For everyone's sake, including own.

Finally, as the dialogue continued to erupt and grow louder, it appeared even the Prophets had their limits.

"There will be order in this Council!" Mercy barked, slamming his thin, yellow hand onto his gravity throne. At once the councilors fell silent, some faster than others, but soon the entire chamber was eerily quiet. Only the faint sounds of breathing could be heard, but Thel couldn't help but notice the Jiralhanae was oddly calm despite the accusations leveled against him.

'_Honorable, in a way,_' Thel thought, but he didn't dare voice his opinion.

"Fleetmaster Burpoion," High Prophet of Truth began, his silky voice barely masking his unquestionable contempt for the Jiralhanae before him, "you stand accused before the Council of cowardice and a failure to complete the mission assigned to the _Fleet of Glorious Retribution. _A mission meant to destroy the homeworld of humanity's Hunters, which for the past ten annual cycles have greatly impeded if not stalled our righteous crusade. Before we decide on your fate, we demand to know what exactly happened."

"I understand, Hierarchs," Burpoion replied, standing up straighter.

"Do you?" Regret asked, leaning forward. "If I remember correctly, Fleetmaster, you were not issued command of the _Fleet of Glorious Retribution_ prior to the invasion. That honor belonged to Fleetmaster Khir 'Vittinee."

"That is correct," Burpoion confirmed, "but when he fell in battle after a human construct snuck aboard his flagship, I was the ranking shipmaster left. So, I assumed command. The failure of the invasion falls upon me."

"How, exactly, did the invasion fail? Khir 'Vittinee was one of our greatest strategists, so it seems strange for his fleet to fail so utterly," Mercy pointed out. Thel nodded, agreeing with that assessment, but something told the Supreme Commander that Burpoion had an answer.

"Indeed," Burpoion nodded before continuing, "the plan itself was simple yet grand. After destroying the human defenses in orbit, we were to glass the planet and snuff out the humans below. When the invasion first started, we indeed achieved orbital supremacy, but not until after losing nearly a third of the fleet to their orbital defense platforms."

"Then why did Fleetmaster Khir 'Vittinee not glass the planet when he had the chance and instead ordered a ground invasion of the major human population centers?" Regret asked, craning his long, serpentine neck back.

"On our approach to the planet, our fleet's luminaries began to pick up faint signals of Forerunner artifacts on the planet's surface," Burpoion explained. Thel's eyes widened in realization just as murmurs began to form in the council. "Once we confirmed them, Fleetmaster Khir 'Vittinee ordered a ground invasion to the human cities where they were housed, intending to secure the artifacts for reclamation and allowing us to proceed with the glassing of the planet. However, once we arrived on the surface, we immediately began to encounter setback after setback."

Burpoion paused, then took a deep breath before continuing.

"The planet, which the humans named Remnant, was indeed the homeworld of their Hunters. The largest concentration of them we had ever seen, ranging from younglings still in training to veteran elders commanding them, met us head-on as soon as we disembarked. What's more, we weren't expecting the Shadow Beasts."

"'Shadow Beasts?'" Regret asked.

"Monstrous creatures that appeared to be native to the planet. They weren't under the control of anything, and attacked human and Covenant alike," Burpoion clarified. "The Hunters appeared to have been used to their unchecked aggression and used it against us, which turned the invasion into a three-way war."

"Mere beasts were able to impede your efforts so greatly?" Mercy probed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I find that very unlikely."

"At first, we felt the same. But the Shadow Beasts, they were innumerable. They seemed to have no concept of self-preservation and threw themselves headlong into our ranks. While many were easily dispatched on their own, there were so many of them that they seemed to turn the land into a shifting black mass at times. Their presence and hostility was so pervasive that it seemed as if the planet itself wanted us dead, and their capabilities were…unnatural." Burpoion frowned slightly. "Some of them were strong enough to even survive our most powerful land armaments and continue charging. There was one, in particular, that was the size of a small mountain, erupting out of a nearby mountaintop to engage a heavy corvette hanging over a city. By the time we managed to kill it, the damage was severe enough to prompt the ship's withdrawal for repairs."

Thel hummed to himself. '_So, this is what it's like on the Hunter homeworld? They had to live among these Shadow Beasts? No wonder they're so strong._'

Indeed, that had been a mystery among the Covenant ever since the humans began deploying the Hunters and changed the face of the war. Especially since, from what they could tell, their 'abilities' were natural and not the result of technology, unlike their Demons. It hadn't helped that, with the Hunters, the humans began desecrating Elemental Crystals for use as ammunition. Blasphemous, in and of itself, yet undeniably effective. Being shot was one thing, but it was another to be shot and have your limbs frozen, your body set aflame, or pumped full of lightning. An edge that actually allowed their primitive projectiles to compete with proper plasma weaponry.

"A few cycles into the invasion," Burpoion continued, "after our ground forces were constantly repelled, Fleetmaster Khir 'Vittinee fell as his ship was destroyed. As such, when I took command, I ordered our forces to retreat from the planet, where we would begin glassing parts of the planet not housing the artifacts. The intention, then, was to choke out the humans on the planet surface, making it inhospitable for them and greatly assisting our siege efforts."

"Then why, pray tell, did you _stop glassing the planet_?" Truth asked, bringing his hands together and intertwining his fingers. At once, everyone's eyes, including Thel's, moved towards Burpoion. To Thel's slight surprise, the Jiralhanae's frown had been replaced by a remorseful, penance-filled expression, and he couldn't help but wonder what was running through Burpoion's head.

"As we began glassing the planet…" Burpoion paused, obviously thinking over his next words carefully. Something told Thel that, depending on how the Jiralhanae Fleetmaster worded them, his life and fate would be decided then. The Hierarchs were obviously growing more and more impatient, and with a straightening of his back, Burpoion spoke once again.

"We discovered during the glassing that the planet Remnant was, in truth, a Holy Bastion."

A heavy silence fell over the Council Chamber. San'Shyuum craned their necks back while Sangheili clacked their mandibles. It was clear to Thel that many didn't believe the Jiralhanae. Even he had to admit that the claim was suspect.

"An audacious claim," Truth declared, bringing his gravity throne slightly closer to the front of the platform he and the other two Hierarchs positioned themselves on. "Do you have any proof?"

"Of course," Burpoion said, motioning his head towards a compartment on his hilt. "May I?"

"By all means," Truth acquiesced. It was all part of the theater, Thel knew. The illusion of being fair when, in truth, the outcome of this 'trial' was determined from the start. Burpoion, whether he understood it or not, nodded then pulled out a spherical device. Thel recognized it as a holographic projector, and instantly realized what the Jiralhanae was going to show. Burpoion activated the projector, springing it to life and causing a holographic image of this 'Remnant' to spring to life. Judging from the lack of vitrification, the image was taken prior to the glassing, but he could see its beauty even from here. It was composed of four continents, vaguely shaped like great beasts, with vast bodies of water surrounding them. Not unlike many of the planets humanity had colonized. He, as well as many other commanders in the Covenant, had come to the conclusion that humanity's homeworld was a similar type of world.

Then the image shifted, and Thel's eyes widened as he saw the extent of the plasma bombardment. Burpoion was right, he had indeed glassed areas of the planet not covered by their massive cities. Much of the desert-half of the largest continent was reduced to glass, as was the northwestern and northernmost continents. The glaciers of the northern tundra in particular had mostly melted away, causing the remaining seabed to rise spectacularly. The eastern half of the largest continent was relatively undamaged, likely due to the greatest level of human resistance being concentrated in that general area. The eastern continent, however, caused Thel's already wide eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets and his nostrils to flare in surprise. It wasn't the extent of the glassing damage that unnerved him. Indeed, the damage was relatively minor when compared to the other continents. Instead, his attention was drawn to the large inland sea that once formed the heart of the continent. After the glassing, it was now completely boiled away, exposing the sediment that once contained the sea. As well as the extensive Forerunner structures that were housed directly beneath it.

At once, the Council Chamber erupted into fresh chaos. Everyone was shouting, and even the Hierarchs' normally composed expressions were briefly marred by pure disbelief and shock.

"You _defaced_ a Holy Bastion?!" a San'Shyuum councilor shouted in outrage.

"Heresy!" a Sangheili echoed, and the voice was joined by a chorus of others who began calling for the Jiralhanae's head. Thel didn't join them, as he was simply too shocked to respond. The Hunters were native to a Holy Bastion? How? Why? It didn't make any sense to the Supreme Commander. What's more, if Remnant truly was a Holy Bastion, as Burpoion claimed, then why hadn't they come into contact with the Shadow Beasts before on the other Holy Bastions found in the Covenant's grand history?

"Indeed, I did," Burpoion admitted, shame easily seeping into his voice. "Once we discovered the truth, we immediately halted all plasma bombardments. The crews and gunners then began self-flagellating as penance, including myself. Others committed suicide, and those who did neither are now dead."

Thel's eyes were suddenly drawn to the Jiralhanae's back. True to his word, he saw several fresh wounds crisscrossing his back. Truth seemed to notice this as well and nodded slowly.

"I see," the Prophet of Truth said, halting all further discussions in the council. "Fleetmaster, for how long did you seek penance?"

"I whipped myself seven times for each minute the Holy Bastion was damaged by my hand. The others did as well, and only a few of us survived the sacred trial."

"Then I can accept your penance," Truth proclaimed. "I believe your words that you did not know Remnant was a Holy Bastion. Had you known, undoubtedly you wouldn't have dared deface it. However, what I cannot forgive is your subsequent decision to abandon the planet."

This was another part of the show, Thel knew. The Hierarchs would proclaim Burpoion's forgiveness, send him back to his ship, then send the Silent Shadow to eliminate him and his crew. Many commanders in the Covenant's history had befallen this fate, some of which went to drastic measures in an effort to save themselves. Only one ever managed to succeed. Thel wondered what Burpoion would do, assuming of course he understood Truth's true intentions.

"Believe me, noble Hierarchs, that it was not my intention to do so," Burpoion insisted. "Once we finished seeking penance, we began planning our counterattack when human reinforcements arrived, forcing us to fight once again for orbital supremacy. Another third of the fleet was destroyed before I gave the order to retreat."

"That was still nearly fifty of the finest vessels in the Covenant Navy," Mercy argued, pointing his wrinkly finger at the Jiralhanae. "Why didn't you stay and fight to the last, as your former Fleetmaster would've done? You had ten vessels left, including your flagship. I see no reason why you shouldn't have continued, given your mission's importance."

Burpoion paused, and a new expression formed on his face. Thel recognized it immediately, as it was one several of his brothers displayed when they came across something holy and sacred. Thel wondered what, exactly, caused the Jiralhanae to behave this way, as were the Hierarchs.

"As we fought the second human fleet, the luminary of my ship, the _Pious Cathedral_, picked up the presence of another Forerunner artifact. Unlike the others, this one was well away from any major human population centers, instead found deep in the territory of the Shadow Beasts. I led a detachment myself down to the surface, intending to secure it, and what I found there demanded our immediate return to High Charity."

"And what might that be?" the Prophet of Regret asked, leaning forward and boring his eyes into Burpoion's. Much to Thel's surprise, Burpoion looked right back, then turned to the side and gestured his arm towards the Council Chamber's entrance.

"A living Oracle," Burpoion declared, prompting the doors to open. Loud gasps filled the room as a pair of Sangheili walked in, reverently guarding a lone figure between them. Thel's eyes widened as he took the creature in. It appeared to be female, with its thin, slender body, and at first glance he assumed her to be a human. Yet, at the same time, it was clear that she was not, as something about her presence seemed to fill the chamber like a sudden gravity well, suffocating them under its weight as she silently glided forward. More physical differences were revealed as she approached, such as her ash-pale hair and skin that didn't match any of the human phenotypes they'd observed, even the more colorful variations within the ranks of the Hunters. Thick black veins covered her arms and face, and blood-red eyes and black sclera gazed out into the room with an almost calculating expression.

"What is the _meaning_ of this?! You brought a human into High Charity?!" Mercy demanded, prompting the Honor Guards from both sides to brace themselves. Yet the woman merely raised her hand, causing her guards to stop and back away with a reverent bow of their heads.

"Noble Prophet of Mercy," she began, speaking perfect San'Shyuum to everyone's surprise, "I am no mere human, and I assure you that I am not a foe to the Great Journey. Indeed, I only seek to bring everyone along the Sacred Path to salvation."

She stepped forward, prompting Burpoion to back away with a humble, awe-struck expression, as she regarded the Hierarchs in such a way that Thel 'Vadamee had never seen. Not as a subordinate, but as an equal.

"Venerable Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret, my name is Salem."

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! This is a little something that myself, Jesse K, and NaanContributor put together. Special thanks to them, as I wouldn't be able to do this without their help.

As you can see, **Dust and Echoes** is a RWBY/Halo crossover. Specifically the prologue, but the actual story (that we do, indeed, plan on telling) starts before this. This prologue is really meant to help show you guys the direction we plan on going with this story. We have some great ideas for Dust and Echoes, and we can't wait to show them to you.

Let us know what you guys think, and we hope you enjoy!


	2. You Ever Wonder What's Out There?

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 1: You Ever Wonder What's Out There?**

[~][~]

_Oum System, Remnant_

_Sanus, Kingdom of Vale, Patch_

_November 15, 2540 23:48 Hours_

Laying atop their house's roof, two young sisters, one barely past the age of five and the other two years older, stared up into the night sky. It was well past their bedtime, and they knew that if either their father or uncle found them up this late at night, they'd be in for it. But the night air was perfect, not too hot or too cold, and there was a nice autumn breeze to ruffle their hair. The light reflecting off of Remnant's shattered moon lit their surroundings, allowing the two girls to gaze up at the starry night sky in all its glory.

"Hey, Yang?" the youngest of the two asked, her silver eyes still glued to the stars above.

"Yeah, Ruby?" Yang replied, resting her blonde head on her hands.

"You ever wonder what's out there?" Ruby innocently asked, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Hmm?" Yang hummed, breaking her attention away from the night sky to focus on Ruby. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Ruby clarified as she continued to look above, "do you ever wonder if there's someone out there? Not from Remnant?"

"You mean an alien?" Yang asked. When Ruby nodded, Yang smiled and nodded back. "Is this because of that movie with the alien and the bike we just watched?"

"Yeah, I know, but still," Ruby petulantly complained with a slight pout, causing Yang to chuckle.

"Heh heh," Yang laughed lightly, then returned her attention to the stars. "To be honest, Ruby, I guess I hadn't put much thought into it. I imagine there's something out there. Uncle Qrow says space is _big_."

"Do you think we'll ever meet them?" Ruby immediately asked, having taken Yang's ambiguous answer as agreement. Yang thought her response over, pursing her lips and scrunching her nose. If Ruby was looking, she probably would've laughed at the expression Yang was making. Finally, Yang relaxed and smiled, turning her head to face Ruby once again.

"Yeah, I think we will," Yang answered as firmly as a seven-year-old girl could. "Do you?"

"Definitely," Ruby confirmed, her smile growing wider. "And I just know that, whoever they are, we'll be friends. I'm sure of it."

At Ruby's declaration, Yang couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

_Beijing System, Beijing III _

_Ching Mountains_

A lone soldier laid prone among the craggy rocks as he watched the battle rage along the mountain pass below. Through the scope of his SRS99 sniper rifle, he saw marines fire their MA5s from behind cover, ducking as molten bolts of plasma retaliated. The slow and unlucky were struck, the intense heat melting away their armor and sending them screaming to the ground. As the firefight continued, none of the marines could afford to pull their fallen comrades into cover, leaving them to the mercy of the Covenant. It wasn't a fate he wished on anyone, and so he leveled his rifle towards the fight below and waited.

The first targets to enter his sights was a small lance of Grunts, waddling towards the human soldiers with plasma pistols and needlers at the ready. Green bolts joined purple homing spikes in firing towards the marines, and the sniper centered his sights on the head of the group. He fired a single shot, and a white contrail stretched out across the valley, connecting with the head of the lance. Bright blue blood splattered against the mountainside, causing the rest of the Grunts to stop firing and whirl around in a panic. Seizing his opening, the sniper fired three more shots, each one striking the head of another Grunt. By the time he reloaded, the Grunts were running around in a panic, allowing the marines to regroup and return fire much more effectively.

"_Chief, we're in position_," the sniper heard a female voice call out to him.

"Copy," Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 replied, still remaining prone as he waited for the lance's leader to reveal itself. Soon enough, he saw a blue armored Elite Minor emerge from behind a rock, barking orders at the panicking Grunt survivors as it fired its plasma rifle at the marines. This seemed to galvanize the Grunts as they turned around and fired back at the marines, forcing them back into cover. The marines returned fire, their bullets ricocheting off of the Elite's shield ineffectually while the Grunts advanced cautiously. John, meanwhile, steadied his breath and aimed at the Elite's head, then fired a single shot. The energy shield broke as soon as the round made contact, followed by the alien slumping over with a large hole in its head. Now the Grunts were completely panicked and leaderless, allowing the marines to cut them down and finally advance.

"Covenant lance eliminated and marine fireteam en route. Proceeding to next objective," John called out over his internal comms, rising up to his feet and continuing his trek up the small mountain ledge. It was barely two feet wide at the widest point, forcing him to shimmy along with his back glued to the rock. Occasionally, small rocks and debris would fall off the ledge and into the valley below, reminding him of just how high up he was, but he didn't let it bother him. Instead, John let his thoughts turn towards the purpose of this entire operation.

Operation: ZHUGE LIANG, as Admiral Preston Cole called it, was something the United Nations Space Command Navy had been putting together for months now. It started when Office of Naval Intelligence personnel uncovered an ancient artifact buried underneath the crust of Beijing III, a recently settled world founded back in the late 2490s. Knowing that the Covenant would be itching for the chance to recover it, the planet was discretely evacuated and replaced with several divisions of UNSC Marines and Army Troopers. When the expected Covenant fleet finally arrived, the Third, Fifth, and Ninth fleets ambushed them on their approach to the planet. It was a sound plan, in John's opinion, but as with many plans, it hadn't completely survived contact with the enemy. Out of nearly a hundred vessels, only half remained by now, and the Covenant had only lost ten of their own.

John's thoughts were broken as he heard the distinctive warbling of Covenant artillery being fired. Steeling his gaze, John edged himself to a wider area of the mountain and hauled himself to the top, where he joined the rest of Blue Team to overlook their objective. Linda-058 was aiming her sniper rifle at two pairs of Type-48 Weevils emplaced on mountain tops, firing their plasma barrages at UNSC forces below.

"I count fifteen lances on each artillery platform," Linda recalled, still aiming through her scope. "Mostly Grunts and Jackals, but a fair number of Elites as well."

"Leadership?" John asked, already tallying the number in his head. If each lance had one to two Elites, that meant there could be upwards of thirty Elites in each platform. He frowned, not liking the sound of that.

"Ultras," Kelly-087 replied. "I was able to get in and out before they saw me. There's a pass underneath where we can sneak in. After that…"

"We'll make it work," John cut her off, swapping out his sniper rifle for his MA5B. He checked the magazine, a small box on his HUD appearing above it and showing that it housed the standard sixty rounds, and reinserted it back into his weapon. John then turned back towards his fellow SPARTAN-IIs and rested on his knee.

"Here's what we'll do," John said, resting his assault rifle on his raised knee and drawing a quick map in the dirt with his free hand. "Each of us will take a separate platform at once. If we try to do it sequentially, the Covenant will catch on to us and try to take us out with their guns. Once inside, make your way to the plasma core and overload it, then exfil before the Weevil explodes. Understood?"

"You got it, Chief," Fred answered, nodding his head as he slotted a fresh magazine into his M392 DMR. Kelly, meanwhile, brought her M90 shotgun to her chest, signaling her acceptance of the plan. Linda said nothing, instead tracing her finger against her ARGUS helmet to form a smile. John nodded back, then together the members of Blue Team began to crawl along the mountain top, each going in separate directions to their own individual targets. John crawled towards the nearest, careful not to make too much noise lest he caught some unwanted attention.

As the Master Chief crawled, he heard more and more plasma mortars fire into the valley below. Large explosions followed, and John knew that numerous more soldiers were dying. He scowled but forced himself to keep steady. If he allowed himself to be spotted by the Covenant, there was no guarantee that he'd be able to destroy the Weevil in time, and more marines would die.

After nearly thirty minutes of crawling along his belly, John found himself hiding behind a large rock barely hanging off the ledge. He gripped the rock with one hand tightly, preventing himself from falling off the mountainside, while his free hand leveled his rifle forward just in case any Covenant patrols came across him. He flicked his indicator light within his helmet green, telling Blue Team that he was in position and ready to move. Fred and Linda soon responded with green lights as well, but when Kelly didn't respond, John began to worry. It proved to be for nothing as Kelly's light flicked green a few minutes later. Now that they were all in position, John peeked his head out from behind his rock and waited for an opening. Standing in front of an open entryway into the Weevil, John saw a pair of Jackals chatting between themselves in a series of squawks and barks. His MJOLNIR Mk. IV's internal systems couldn't translate the alien speech, but John was most concerned about the round energy shields being emitted from the Jackals' gauntlets. From this range and angle, he wouldn't be able to put them down without compromising his position, and he considered his options.

An idea soon popped out into his head, and John carefully pinned his MA5B between his body and the rock in order to pull out an M9 fragmentation grenade. He tested the weight in his hand, moving his thumb over the trigger button, and peeked his head from behind the rock one last time.

"Engage," John ordered, throwing the frag grenade from behind the rock towards the Jackals' feet. The avianoids stopped their chatter to look at the round object in surprise, and they squawked frightfully once they realized just what it was. It bounced just behind them and exploded before the Jackals had the time to move their shields to defend themselves, causing their bodies to fly away as the explosion riddled their bodies with shrapnel. Orange blood splatted the purple Covenant metal, and John was already sprinting inside the Weevil by the time alarms began to blare.

Rounding a corner as fast as he could, John-117 kept his assault rifle facing forward just as a trio of Grunts and a pair of Jackals came through a door to investigate. John threw a frag grenade at their feet, not pausing to rest as it exploded among them. He gunned down the stunned survivors then went through the same door they came through.

"_Contact. Eliminating hostiles,_" John heard Fred calmly report over the team comms, punctuated by distant gunshots of his DMR. Before he could respond, John encountered another file of Grunts. They were armed with plasma pistols, and more importantly, they were waiting for him just as he opened another door. The Spartan threw himself into cover just as the Covenant soldiers began to fire, filling the doorway with green fire.

"Acknowledged, Blue-2," John finally said as he poked his assault rifle from behind cover and began to fire in short, controlled bursts. He brained one Grunt, forcing the rest to duck behind cover lest they suffer the same fate. Seizing his opening, John sprinted through the door and threw himself behind a Covenant supply case. A few brave Grunts attempted to fire at him as he did, but their shots went wide and hit the wall behind him instead. The other Grunts then decided to rejoin the firefight, pinning John down as they focused fire on the supply case. Seeing how the Spartan wasn't in the mood to move anytime soon, the Grunts began to bark at each other in their alien tongues, and a few tentatively began to step forward while others covered them from the back.

John, meanwhile, kept his eyes on his motion tracker, grabbing another frag grenade from his pouch and priming it for activation. Once they got close enough, he threw the explosive over his shoulder and the supply case. A trail of smoke followed the explosive as it arced towards the Grunts, who immediately noticed it. A few managed to dive away just as the grenade landed on the floor, while the rest weren't so lucky as they were killed in the ensuing explosion. As the survivors picked themselves off their feet, John broke cover and fired a few bursts into them, putting them down and allowing himself to advance.

As he moved up a ramp to the second floor, John checked his rifle's ammo indicator to see he had thirty-two rounds left in his magazine. He took the chance to reload, swapping it for a fresh mag and bringing him back to a full sixty rounds once again. John was glad that he did, for he was assaulted by plasma fire as soon as he poked his head over the top of the ramp. This time, the plasma bolts were blue, telling him that they came from Elites wielding plasma rifles.

"_I found the plasma core,_" Kelly called out just as John began to return fire towards the pair of Elite Minors, who he just saw were supported by several files of Grunts and Jackals. "_Chief, we have a problem._"

"What is it, Blue-3?" John calmly asked, continuing to return fire despite the plasma bolts buzzing by his MJOLNIR Mk. IV armor.

"_The plasma core is shielded. I'm going to have to find a way to bypass. Will notify once I find a solution._"

"Acknowledged," John replied, swapping out his empty assault rifle for his sniper rifle. Normally, he wouldn't advise using a long-ranged weapon in close-quarters combat, but right now he needed the extra penetration. With only the top of his head visible, John poked the barrel of his weapon over and aimed at the first Elite he saw, then fired a single shot into its head. The Elite fell, forcing the other to dive-roll into cover and preventing John from following through with another shot. Without saying a word, John swapped his weapons and reloaded as he vaulted the ramp's edge onto the second floor. Green and blue fire was surrounding him, now, firing at him from all sides, but John kept his attention focused squarely on the Elite.

'_There you are,_" he thought as he saw the Elite's head briefly poke out from behind a supply case. With his enhanced speed preventing the Grunts and Jackals from hitting him, John fired his weapon towards the Elite, peppering its shields and causing it to break under the sustained fire. The rounds tore through the alien's flesh, causing purple blood to splatter around it as it tried to fire a few shots from his plasma rifle. It was too late, however, as John finished emptying the clip into the Elite and killed it. With their leader dead, the Grunts began to panic and run around blindly, but the Jackals were able to keep their focus. From behind their rounded shields they fired towards John, forcing him to take cover behind the purple-stained supply case.

Knowing that his MA5B was useless against the Jackals at this range, John holstered it alongside his sniper rifle and detached his M6D Magnum from his hip. He aimed it towards the gap in the side of one of the Jackals' shield gauntlets, where they were firing their plasma pistols, and shot through it. The first round struck the avianoid's hand, causing it to recoil in pain and move its shield to the side. With its head now exposed, John fired a second shot into it, causing the alien to slump over to the ground. Its comrades ignored this, although they drew close together in an effort to overlap their shields. The tactic worked, as John found himself unable to get an accurate shot. John checked his HUD, and to his displeasure, he found that he only had one frag grenade left. Seeing how he had little choice, John threw it behind their shields, the grenade exploding not long after and causing the Jackals' bodies to fly away as a mess of broken limbs and bleeding flesh.

"I'm out of grenades," John advised, scanning the room for further hostiles.

"_Do you need assistance?_" Linda asked, despite the fact that John could hear the Covenant fire from the background of her comms.

"Negative," John replied as he knelt down to the Elite he had just killed and began to search its body. He soon found what he was looking for, a pair of plasma grenades that were ripe for the taking. The Master Chief then moved towards the second Elite, where he found another pair of plasma grenades that brought his stock up to four. He prepared to move on, but then he had a thought once he caught sight of all the scattered Covenant tech littering the ground.

"Blue Team, be advised. New secondary objective. If able, secure Covenant tech for reverse engineering," John ordered as he grabbed a relatively undamaged shield gauntlet and strapped it to his wrist. He worked to remember how to turn it on, but soon the memory came back, and he activated it. An orange shield erupted before him, and with a silent nod he turned it off. He then took the opportunity to grab a fallen Grunt's plasma pistol, strapping it to his other hip's magnetic holster and bringing back up his assault rifle.

"_Acknowledged, Blue Leader,_" Fred said, followed by the rest of Blue Team repeating the same acknowledgement. John nodded, then moved towards a large door which automatically opened for him.

"Proceeding to primary objective," John called out as he ran through the door. When a file of Grunts came into an intersection ahead of him, John gunned them down with fully automatic fire and kept running, barely acknowledging their still bleeding corpses. He soon came across another ramp, only this one was guarded by several Elites, Grunts, and Jackals. Most of the Elites were minors, but John could see a few Majors wearing their trademark crimson armor. His attention, however, was on the Grunt currently manning a plasma turret, and John felt an idea pop into his head.

"_Chief, I have a solution to our shielding problem,_" Kelly called out as John holstered his assault rifle, pulled out his magnum, and activated his captured shield gauntlet just as blue and green fire rained on his position.

"_Don't keep us in suspense, Blue-Three. Let's hear it,_" Fred replied. John, meanwhile, began picking off Grunts one after another with careful headshots, using his shield to protect himself in the relatively coverless room.

"_An overcharged plasma pistol shot can overload the shields surrounding the core, and a plasma grenade should do the rest._"

"_And you know this how?_" Linda asked over the crack of her sniper rifle. Internally, John wasn't surprised by the fact that Linda, of all people, was using a sniper rifle in close-quarters combat, but then again she was skilled enough with it to make the tactic work. So, he stayed silent, making his way towards the plasma turret while firing his pistol at the gunner.

"_Because I just did it._" Kelly's statement was followed by the telltale sound of a plasma grenade exploding, and John could hear the Weevil's emergency alarms begin to blare. "_Extracting now._"

"Good. Standby," John announced as an Elite Major rushed him, intending to use its plasma rifle as a club. John blocked it with the shield gauntlet then slammed the rim into the Elite's head with enough force to make the energy shield flare bright blue. Bringing the Elite close, John unloaded the rest of his magnum's magazine into its gut, causing the alien to slump to the ground dead as a doornail. He quickly reloaded and fired another shot into the gunner's head, allowing John free reign to leap over another charging Elite, kicking it in the head at the same time to break its shields, deactivate his shield gauntlet, grab hold of the plasma turret, then rip it off of its mount. Holding it at his hip, John began firing his heavy weapon into the aliens around him, shredding through the Elites' shields and turning their bodies into charred messes soon after. The Grunts and Jackals fared no better, and soon John was alone once again. He checked his HUD, showing that his turret still had a fifty-percent charge, and he nodded to himself before making his way up the ramp to the final floor.

When he reached the top, John heard a large explosion echo from across the valley, followed by a large shockwave that toppled over several loose containers. He himself was unaffected, but a few Grunts that were waiting for him weren't so lucky as they lost their footing. This allowed John the opportunity to gun them down, allowing him to continue towards the final chamber.

"I'm at the plasma core," John announced, eyeing the large mechanism. It was underneath the Weevil's main gun, and each shot caused flaps to open next to the core that expelled the hot gasses. The core itself was a clear cylinder, with strips of purple Covenant metal running up the side in curvaceous patterns that gave it an almost elegant appearance. John knew better. The Covenant liked to make their ships and weapons look elegant, but they masked their sinister purpose that humanity had come to learn quite well. He moved around the core, finding the only opening that was covered by a thick energy shield veil. Remembering what Kelly said, John took his left hand off the plasma turret and grabbed the plasma pistol he grabbed earlier.

"Overloading the shields now. Standby," John announced as he held down the trigger. The small, green glow at the end of the plasma pistol began to grow bright and large, and the pistol itself began to shake wildly from the energy it was storing. Just as he prepared to fire, however, John's motion tracker showed a lone red dot appear at its edge, and the Spartan turned around just as a white-armored Elite Ultra entered the room. The Elite roared challengingly, only for John to respond by releasing the overcharge shot straight at it. The Ultra dove to the side, causing the homing shot to narrowly miss him as it curved through the air and burst against the wall instead.

"Contact with Elite Ultra," John announced, gripping his plasma turret with both hands again and firing it towards the alien, who kept strafing to the side while firing explosive bolts of plasma from its concussion rifle.

"_Do you need assistance?_" Linda asked.

"Negative. Focus on primary objective," John replied, dropping the plasma turret to escape a barrage of explosive bolts. He evaded to the side, pulling out his MA5B to fire at the Elite. The rounds, however, proved ineffective against the Elite's shields, who merely laughed as it charged against the fire to attack John head on. He tried to back away, firing as he did, but the Elite kept coming and managed to cut him off. Despite his massive weight, the Elite easily lifted the MJOLNIR-clad Spartan and pinned him to the wall, ripping the assault rifle out of his hands and throwing it to the side. Before the Elite could do anything else, however, John immediately pulled out his magnum and began to fire it straight up into the Elite's head. This time the Elite staggered, allowing John to pry the four-fingered hand off his throat and kick it away. He fired the remaining rounds into the Elite, but to his alarm, the shields still held.

"_Core's overloaded. Exfiltrating now,_" Fred announced as John continued to fight the alien. In the bottom corner of his HUD, John could see more aliens making their way towards his position, and he knew that he had to end this quickly. The Elite threw a punch into John's helmet, whipping it to the side and causing John to spin away. The Spartan followed through, however, adding the blow's momentum to his own as he rounded back to punch into the Elite's jaw. The blow finally broke the Elite's shield, and crackling wisps of energy sparked off the Elite as it backed away and nursed its wound. Not wanting to give it a chance to recover, nor having the time to reload his magnum, John instead pulled out his combat knife and lunged at the Elite. The alien managed to grab his wrist just before the blade could be stabbed into its eye, but John kept pressing all of his weight forward into it. Looping his leg around the Elite's, John tripped it and threw the Elite onto the ground. Now on top, John kneeled on its chest and pressed the knife down. It was proving to be a slow, tedious process as the powerful alien struggled to keep it away. With his other leg pinning its free arm, John placed both of his hands on the knife's hilt and increased the pressure. As the knife's tip neared the Elite's eye, he could see it begin to panic.

Then, with a heavy punch to the top of the knife, John plunged the combat knife into the Elite's head all the way to the hilt. The body twitched and struggled for a moment, but then the arms fell limp and the body went still. Satisfied, John pulled the knife out of the corpse with a wet squelch. Seeing the purple blood staining the metal, John wiped it against his armor before sheathing it, then walked back up to the plasma core and aimed his plasma pistol at the energy shield covering it. He overcharged it, then once the weapon was ready he released the shot straight into the shield, exposing the core to the world.

"Shielding's gone. Overloading the core now," John announced as he primed a plasma grenade and threw it into the core. It bounced off the inner wall, settling on the ground and hissing as it prepared to explode.

"_Same. Master Chief, would recommend immediate extraction,_" Linda declared. John nodded, then they heard the sound of Fred's Weevil exploding just as the plasma grenade John threw in detonated. The plasma core contained the explosive blast, amplifying it and causing the internal walls to warp and expand outward from the pressure. Alarms began to blare from inside the platform, and John felt satisfied with his work as he turned towards the nearest door and began to run. Covenant troops came through just as he passed them, but he paid them no heed as he hightailed towards a balcony he saw connected to the end of the corridor he was traversing. Any Covenant that got in his way he gunned down with his assault rifle, and soon he found himself exposed to the fresh mountain air once again. The Weevil began to shake, and hot gas was venting from all along the main gun. John didn't stop, instead leaping off the balcony and descending towards the sloping mountainside below. He landed against the rocks, but his momentum kept him going towards the cliff.

Turning himself around, John quickly pulled out his knife and plunged it into the rock, stopping himself just as his legs went off the side. A few Covenant poked their heads over the balcony and spotted him. They aimed their weapons to fire, only for the entire platform to erupt in a massive, fiery explosion that engulfed everything in sight. It was followed by another explosion as Linda's Weevil suffered the same fate, and as John pulled himself back onto the mountain, he saw four smoldering wrecks in the place of what used to be Covenant artillery. Fred, Kelly, and Linda were already jogging towards him, and once they were all together, John stoically nodded.

"Good work, Spartans," John said. Before his team could respond, however, John heard his radio crack to life, and the voice of the UNSC _Everest_'s AI came to life.

"_Spartans, thanks for the assist,_" the AI declared. John took the moment to look down off the mountain towards the valley below, where he saw the UNSC Army engaging the Covenant head on. Without the fear of plasma mortars raining on their position, they were able to advance much more boldly.

"_Don't think you can rest just yet, though,_" the AI continued. "_We have a new objective for you all. There's a Type-27 Mantis AA gun tearing our air support apart. We need you to take it out, give our pilots some reprieve._"

"We'll get it done, Hannibal," John replied, nodding towards his team as his armor received the telemetry data from the _Everest_. To his slight displeasure, the Mantis was more than thirty clicks away, so he didn't have time to waste.

"Do we have transport?" Fred asked as they began to head down the mountain towards the AA gun.

"_A pair of Warthogs are en route to your position. They'll be waiting for you at the base of the mountain. Good luck, Spartans,_" Hannibal announced, then the transmission cut off as the AI undoubtedly returned his full undivided attention towards the space battle above.

"You know, I always loved the scenic route," Kelly joked, and Fred shook his head in amusement. John, meanwhile, released a small smile, while Linda chuckled softly. But he couldn't afford to slow, however, especially as he saw a large green blast fire from across the valley, shooting down a Vulture gunship as though it was made of paper.

"Let's move, Blue Team," John ordered, and soon all four Spartans were racing down the mountain, where they saw Warthogs waiting for them below.

* * *

"Archer pods J through L are dry!"

"MAC charge at fifty percent!"

"We've lost half our Longsword wings!"

Around him, Vice Admiral Preston Cole saw and heard the crew of the UNSC _Everest_ bustle about, barking status updates towards him that he absorbed immediately. He had to, otherwise this entire operation would be a disaster. At the same time, a deep scowl was marring his face, but it was one that he'd grown accustomed to. On the screen before him, Cole was watching a dual readout detailing the battle taking place both on the surface of Beijing III and in orbit. To his pleasure, the battle on the ground was going well, albeit with heavy losses. The problem, however, was that the battle in orbit was an entirely different story. The Covenant fleet was slaughtering his own, and out of the one hundred vessels he originally assembled, only thirty-five remained.

The only consolation he felt was that the Covenant fleet had been reduced down to five ships of their own. One CAS-class assault carrier, two CCS-class battlecruisers, and two SDV-class heavy corvettes. The bulk of his attention was on the assault carrier and battlecruisers, but at the same time he couldn't afford to dismiss any Covenant warship. Even the smallest of them outclassed their UNSC equivalent. If he wanted to win this battle, he'd have to play it smart.

Cole saw a flash of light, and his scowl deepened as yet another UNSC vessel was destroyed by a plasma torpedo. His screen tracked the torpedo's source, and he saw that it came from one of the heavy corvettes. Immediately, his mind raced, and he began to relay orders to the rest of the fleet.

"All ships, focus your fire on the heavy corvettes," Cole ordered, moving his fingers through the screen that divided his remaining thirty-four vessels into two equal groups of seventeen. He ordered each group to concentrate fire on a separate vessel, and the fleet complied as they moved into position. Through the glass windows of the _Everest_'s bridge, Vice Admiral Cole saw frigates, destroyers, cruisers, and the few remaining carriers he had aim their MACs towards their respective targets. Their bows exploded into light as each fired multi-ton tungsten rounds that crashed into the Covenant's shields. They flashed bright blue, but the force was too great and each failed. Behind the MAC rounds was a barrage of Archer missiles, which punctured through their hulls and detonated. The two alien vessels blossomed into balls of purple fire, leaving only broken chunks where once were two mighty vessels.

Despite his tactic being a success, Cole couldn't let himself celebrate just yet. Three more ships were destroyed during the attack, and that didn't even begin to include the number of Longswords destroyed by Covenant Seraphs and Banshees. Still, he had to keep calm, and he turned his attention towards the two battlecruisers.

"Repeat on those battlecruisers. Focus fire on one, then move on to the next," Cole ordered. The two halves of his fleet complied, scattering away from the plasma torpedoes while firing their point-defense guns at Covenant fighters. Small fireballs joined the larger explosions, and two more ships were destroyed before the fleet was able to angle themselves at one of the battlecruisers and fire. As the shield buckled, Cole was happy that he didn't try to take them both out at the same time, like he did with the corvettes. It took all their fire just to break one. As another salvo of Archer missiles streamed towards the battlecruiser, finishing it off, the rest of the fleet turned their attention towards the second battlecruiser. It and the assault carrier were firing their weapons into the fleet, forcing them to scatter like flies.

A loud crash and groan rocked the _Everest_, forcing Cole to cling to the station in front of him for support. Other members of his crew weren't so lucky as they were knocked off their feet, and sparks flew about the room from short-circuiting electronics.

"Hannibal, report!" Cole barked. Beside him, a small cylindric podium lit up, revealing a blue tinted holographic man with a full beard, wearing a tunic over chainmail and a Thracian helmet on top of his head.

"Admiral, one of the battlecruiser's plasma torpedoes struck one of the _Everest_'s aft launch bays and we are venting atmosphere," Hannibal revealed. "I am sealing the bulkheads now."

"Any casualties?" Cole asked, turning his attention to the second battlecruiser just as it was destroyed, along with several other ships of his own. He bit down a curse. They had only twenty ships left, many of which were venting atmosphere.

"I count 286 lost souls," Hannibal relayed. "Sir, I do not believe the _Everest_ will be able to survive another blow."

"I know," Cole said, closing his eyes and sighing while shaking his head. "Damn waste. Hannibal, chart a course for all surviving ships. I want to flank that assault carrier from all sides."

"Of course, sir. Plotting pincer movements now," Hannibal revealed. Soon after, transmissions were sent from the _Everest _to the rest of the UNSC fleet. The orange glow of their engines intensified as they moved around the larger alien vessel in wide arcs, trying to prevent their destruction by its plasma weaponry. The _Everest_, meanwhile, faced towards the assault carrier's bow, Cole keeping an eye on the MAC's charge. It was at seventy percent, but even then he knew that with all the ships he had, a single salvo wouldn't be enough. It would take several, and he didn't know how long that would take before that carrier would destroy them all. He had to think of a way to overcome this, but how?

Then, as he saw more Seraphs fly out of the assault carrier, Admiral Cole felt an idea pop into his head.

"Hannibal, how many Longsword fighters do we have left?" he asked.

"I count 10 currently in operating condition," Hannibal replied.

"That'll have to do. Load them up with one SHIVA each. We're going to fly them straight into the Covenant hangar, destroy that monster from the inside," Cole ordered. Hannibal smiled and nodded, then began to issue Cole's commands to the rest of the _Everest_'s fighter pilots. At the same time, Cole felt the bridge shudder as the MAC gun fired alongside the rest of the fleet. As he suspected, the assault carrier's shields held, which was enough for another of Cole's ships to be destroyed.

"Where are those Longswords?" Cole asked.

"Launching now, Admiral." True to Hannibal's words, Cole saw a flight of Longswords jettison out of the _Everest_'s launch bays and stream towards the assault carrier. Cole nodded, then directed his attention towards the battle still unfolding.

"All forces, cover those Longswords," Cole ordered. He received several calls of acknowledgement, and soon the UNSC vessels began laying down covering fire to escort the Longswords. It seemed, however, that the Covenant were catching on to their plan, and soon he saw the purple contrails of Seraphs and Banshees race towards the Longwords while firing their plasma cannons. The human pilots swerved away, a few not doing so in time and exploding as the plasma ruptured their hulls.

"Dammit," Cole cursed. Not willing to wait the battle out, the fleet fired their MAC guns again, yet still the assault carrier's shields held. It was shimmering much more noticeably now, which told Cole that it likely wouldn't survive another salvo. But, as yet more of his ships were destroyed, he felt a sinking feeling form in his gut. They wouldn't have time to launch another salvo. He had to end this now.

"Fire all remaining Archer missiles at the assault carrier," Cole calmly ordered. He knew that, normally, Archers weren't effective at destroying Covenant shields, but with the MACs taking too long to charge and the fleet running out of time, he had to take that risk. Once again, the surviving ships complied with the order, and soon the space surrounding them became filled with hundreds of missiles all racing towards the assault carrier. Explosions rocked the alien ship, and at first the shields held. Cole felt a chill shiver down his spine, but it dissipated as soon as the shields finally buckled and exposed the ship to the void.

"_There's our opening!_" Cole heard one of the remaining Longsword pilots say over the radio. Sure enough, he saw four racing towards one of the open hangars, dodging oncoming plasma fire to the best of their ability. Seraphs, Banshees, and Covenant point defenses were locked on to them, but it was to the testament of the human pilots' skill that they weren't shot down all at once. Still, the wall of Covenant fire was too much, and Cole began to see the remaining Longswords be shot down one by one until there was only one left.

"_Dammit!_" the Longsword pilot cursed as plasma bolts struck its wings. Smoke began to trail from the engines, and its flight path became noticeably wobbly. Cole began to fear for the worst, but he continued to see the Longsword bob and weave between enemy fire to the best of its ability. More Seraphs and Banshees were streaming in, replacing the ones shot down by UNSC support, but to Cole's relief, it proved to be enough. The pilot crashed his Longsword straight into the alien hangar, not even trying to get away. Silently, Cole and his bridge crew offered their thanks just as the SHIVA nuke exploded from inside the assault carrier. White hot fire spread through the vessel as cascading explosions engulfed it, and soon the assault carrier was no more.

Cole sighed and sat down in his chair while his bridge crew cheered at their 'victory.' It was a Pyrrhic victory, at best. He mentally tallied his remaining forces, and he winced. He entered the Beijing system with one-hundred vessels. It appeared that he'd leave with a little over twelve, half of which would have to undergo extensive repairs just to be operable. If his math was right, he'd guessed nearly a hundred-thousand souls died over the past forty-eight hours. The only consolation he felt was that all of it was military casualties. At least he was able to evacuate the civilians in time.

"Hannibal, what's the status on the ground?" Cole asked, turning towards the appropriate monitor.

"I'm detecting the complete destruction of the Covenant ground forces, Admiral," Hannibal relayed.

"Casualties?"

"Fifty-percent, sir."

Cole sighed and shook his head. The results of the battle were beginning to weigh down on him. It wasn't that its result was a surprise. Far from it, in fact. It was that battles such as these were both far too common and all too rare at the same time. It had been for over fifteen years, now. Seeing that the bridge crew was staring at him, Cole straightened himself and crossed his arms behind his back.

"I want all ground forces recalled to available ships," he began, the crew immediately relaying his orders to the fleet. "Launch recovery crews immediately. They have one hour to collect any bodies and Covenant technology that they can. Hannibal, ensure that the destroyed UNSC ships have their navigation data wiped. After that, initiate fleetwide Cole Protocol Article One, Subsection IV."

"Random slipspace jump?" an ensign wondered aloud. "Why?"

"Despite our victory here, I'm not willing to take any chances. There could be Covenant scouting craft watching us as we speak," Cole answered. To be honest, he wasn't sure if that was actually the case, but that uncertainty was enough to mandate caution. The Cole Protocol was perhaps the greatest weapon the UNSC had utilized against the Covenant, preventing them from finding human colonies for as long as possible. He'd be damned if one of his vessels led to the discovery of Reach or, God forbid, Earth itself.

"Of course, sir," the same ensign replied, turning back to his station to coordinate recovery efforts. As Preston Cole watched recovery and demolition teams scour the debris field, he was once again reminded of the true scope of the war humanity found itself embroiled in.

The UNSC wasn't fighting for territory or power or even resources. They were fighting a war for the very survival of their species. A war for the right to simply exist and live. A war that they were losing. Preston Cole ruminated over this thought for the rest of the hour, solemnly watching as the surviving vessels retrieved the UNSC ground forces. Army, Marines, and even a fireteam of the clandestine SPARTAN-IIs. They had immediately gone into cryosleep onboard the _Everest_, and once his orders were fully completed, and the bridge truly empty, Cole turned away from the glass windows and walked solemnly towards the cryobay. Hannibal had already inputted the complex calculations needed to jump into slipspace, and so when he finally entered his personal cryopod, the UNSC _Everest_ disappeared into a bright blue oblivion.

* * *

_Unknown System, Outer Oort Cloud_

_November 28, 2540 06:15 Hours_

Even after decades of military service, Admiral Cole never liked the sensation of entering and exiting cryosleep. It was cold, uncomfortable, and he always felt just so tired. Despite the name, he didn't feel as though he had slept at all. Still, he ignored his discomfort as he made his way towards the bridge. Instead, he focused on why Hannibal had deigned to wake him up in the first place. They were supposed to jump into a random system then immediately jump again, this time towards the shipyards at Reach. Something had happened, and Cole could only hope that it could be dealt with.

When he arrived at the bridge, it was empty save only for Hannibal's activated podium. The Smart AI was staring out into the void, focusing his attention on two dwarf planets, one vaguely gold in color and the other purple, orbiting each other.

"I hope you didn't wake me up just for some stellar phenomena," Cole spoke aloud. Hannibal, meanwhile, shook his head as he turned around.

"Not at all, Admiral. I was just admiring it," Hannibal noted. "These two planets are fascinating. They're both equally massed, and their orbits are centered around a singular point perfectly placed between them. I haven't seen anything like it."

"Hmm," Cole hummed. If he was being honest with himself, that was interesting, but as it wasn't of major concern he walked to the front of the bridge to stare out into the void.

"Hannibal, why'd you really wake me up?" Cole asked. Hannibal nodded, then turned his attention away from the phenomena to face Admiral Cole directly.

"It's the system itself, Admiral," Hannibal revealed. "As I exited slipspace, I followed standard UNSC protocols and immediately conducted a scan of the surrounding space."

"What did you find?"

"We are outside the edge of explored human space, nearly forty lightyears away from Earth in an uncharted system. I estimate that, had the Insurrection and the Covenant not divided our attention, it is likely that we would've found this system decades ago."

"How come we never did?"

"We are higher up on the galactic z-axis than we've ever been. Our sensors never pointed in this general vicinity before."

Cole couldn't help but chuckle. "That's anticlimactic."

"I felt so, as well," Hannibal joked, then he returned to a more serious expression. "The system itself is orbits a G-type main sequence star. The same mass and energy output of Sol, actually. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say this star _was _Sol."

"That's…odd." Cole frowned, as did Hannibal. Something didn't feel right. "What about the rest of the planets?"

"Not including the two dwarf planets we are currently orbiting; the system has four planetary bodies. Two rocky, two gas giants. Oddly, no asteroid belt. My concern, however, is with the second planet."

"Clarify."

"The planet is in the system's habitable zone. In fact, it had the exact same distance between it and its home star as the distance between Earth and Sol. I was intrigued by this coincidence, and so I began to investigate further."

Something was screaming at Cole that this wasn't a coincidence, but he allowed Hannibal to continue.

"As I did, I began to pick up odd radio signals coming from the planet's surface. They're too weak for me to decipher from this distance, but I can hear their echoes."

"You think people are down there?" Cole asked, and Hannibal nodded. He felt his mind race over the possibilities. The first, and most alarming, prompted immediate response. "Is it Covenant?"

"No, I can determine that much. It more closely matches those of human make."

"Hmm." Cole hummed and brought his hand to his chin. Immediately, his mind drifted over the information he had regarding this system. It was just outside the edge of human space, which meant it wasn't unfeasible for someone to have arrived in-system first. Perhaps a lost colony, or more worrisome, an Insurrectionist outpost from which they could launch attacks against the UNSC. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he couldn't simply leave it be.

"What's the status of the ship?" Cole asked.

"Structural integrity of the UNSC _Everest _stands at seventy-five percent. We've exhausted our Archer missiles, but the MAC gun is still operational. We have one-thousand, seven-hundred and thirty-three Marines and Army Troopers, and four SPARTAN-IIs all currently in cryostasis," Hannibal relayed. Cole nodded, running the information over. Finally, he came to a decision and nodded.

"Whether it's a lost colony or Insurrectionist outpost, we need to investigate," Cole stated. "I want the bridge crew and half the marines woken from cryo. Charge the MAC gun, just in case."

"Of course, sir. At once." With that Hannibal nodded, then disappeared back into his podium. Cole felt the engines of the _Valiant_-class super-heavy cruiser ignite, rocketing the vessel towards the life bearing planet. Luckily for him, the trip was dull. The only break in the monotony was when the groggy bridge crew entered the bridge and sat before their stations, calling out telemetry reports and crew statuses. The planet, itself, meanwhile, drew ever closer and he was stricken by its appearance.

It was very Earth-like. Even from this distance, he could see four vaguely dragon-like continents surrounded by oceans and islands, big and small. He could see mountains and forests, deserts and tundra. What most caught his attention, however, was the shattered moon orbiting it. He and the crew could only stare at it. A moon that broken should've fallen apart by now and sent its broken chunks hurtling towards the planet below, but instead it was oddly stable.

Still, Cole had to focus on the task at hand.

"Hannibal, what's the status on deciphering their transmissions?" Cole asked. Hannibal reappeared, but to Cole's surprise, a worried look was on the AI's face.

"I… I can't, Admiral," he revealed.

"What do you mean, 'you can't?'"

"I mean that, although I can confirm that these signals are not naturally occurring, I can't decipher the language that they're in. There's nothing in my databanks that match it, human nor Covenant."

"What? How could-?" Cole asked, only for one of his ensigns to call out in alarm.

"Admiral, I'm detecting signals being directed from the planet straight towards us!" she revealed. Cole marched over and leaned next to her to get a better look. True to her word, the _Everest_ was now being bombarded by radio waves. At first, he worried that they were perhaps weapon systems locking on, but he soon began to realize that this was something different. Slowly, his eyes widened in realization.

"Sir, I'm getting more!" another ensign called out just as they passed the shattered moon. Cole immediately shot up and threw his pointed hand towards Hannibal.

"Hannibal, stop the _Everest _immediately!" Cole ordered. Hannibal complied instantly, and the ship's aft thrusters shut off. Bow, port, and starboard side thrusters began to activate as well, slowing the _Everest _down to where they were now orbiting between the planet and its moon. Seeing their position, Cole bit back a curse.

"Sir, what's going on?" another ensign asked, and Cole walked towards his chair and sat down.

"Hannibal, relay a transmission back to FLEETCOM," Admiral Preston Cole began. "Tell them this wasn't a lost colony or an Insurrectionist outpost. This is a First Contact."

[~][~]

Hey, everyone! I'm so happy that you guys enjoyed the first chapter of Dust and Echoes so much. We had a lot of fun putting it together, and we have a lot more to share with you guys. As before, special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for their assistance bringing this crossover to life.

Now, onto the Q&A:

**archive4465: **Yep, Johnson himself, in the flesh. I'm glad that I managed to get his wonderful personality down for you all to enjoy. He's a major character in our story, and we expect to get a lot of mileage through him.

**Lord Of Memory: **I can't really delve into how accurate or inaccurate your predictions are, but I will say that we will be answering all of those questions in the story proper. Remnant's relation to the ancient civilizations that once ruled the galaxy, what Dust is, how Salem infiltrates the Covenant, and more. Also, we will be putting Dust and Echoes on Spacebattles. In fact, it already is, just in the dedicated RWBY Fanfic Discussion thread. I'm going to do one more chapter on that thread before moving it to a dedicated one.

**Helljumper206: **All will be revealed in due time, don't worry.

**Leofire312: **Thank you! I'm glad you got hooked into our story. A big focus is on how the RWBY characters deal with the Human-Covenant War, and I hope that you all will enjoy it as much as we enjoy writing it/bringing it to life.

**Unsettling-A.I.R.: **Don't worry, more updates are coming. Not as soon as this one, though. Chapter 1 was already finished by the time we posted the prologue/teaser. Chapter 2 will be a bit later, unfortunately, but I hope to have it done by the end of the month.

**Matador: **Thank you, much appreciated.

**Nomquam: **All of those reactions will be shown in due time, don't worry. You'll just have to wait and see.

**CR4Z1: **Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

**Gnaoh El Nart: **Yep, specifically in 2540 when Yang was seven and Ruby was five. As for Dust working out side of Remnant, we'll be answering that question in the story as well. You are correct that RWBY canon says that Dust doesn't work outside of atmosphere, and we'll be taking that into account.

**The True Skull: **Well then, that means I did my job well. Glad to hear it.

**DragonflyGaming: **Don't worry, you definitely will. Johnson is one of the major characters of our story, and we expect to get a lot of mileage out of him. As I mentioned earlier. You'll get more. Trust me.

**Pkd: **Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. We have a lot more to share in the future.

**edboy4926:** What the Two Brothers are in this setting will be revealed in the story proper. Same as to whether or not Earth Humans (ones that came from Earth and her colonies) can use Aura and Semblances like Remnant Humans.

**I Am The Prophet:** Nope, this chapter is the real start of the story. The previous chapter was simply the prologue/teaser of things to come. In fact, originally that teaser was going to be the only thing we post, but after further discussion, we came to the decision that we had enough material to make a proper story. So we made the leap and decided to continue. Actually, that's why Ruby didn't call an Elite and Elite or a Grunt a Grunt, even though in actuality she knew exactly what they were by this point in time. It was meant to come off as a surprise as to what this crossover this story actually was. Due to 's system, the whole Halo tag unfortunately spoiled it, but the arrival of Johnson was definitely meant to bring clarification towards the surprise.

That's it for this chapter. We hope you all enjoy, and we'll see you all next time!


	3. Once Upon a Time

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 2: Once Upon a Time**

[~][~]

_Oum System, Remnant_

_Western Anima, Mistral_

_November 14__th__, 69 A.G.W. 05:25 Hours_

She was running. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her, and she didn't dare look back at the snarls and screams going on behind her. Her legs burned and she felt as though she would collapse at any moment, but she willed herself to keep going. If she did not and faltered, even for a second, she would be dead.

"Run!" she heard someone call out beside her. She didn't need anyone to tell her twice, instead doubling her pace as she heard the crunching of grass, leaves, and sticks grow louder behind her. In front of the woman were several men and women and children, all fearfully running for their lives deeper in the thick forests of Anima. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man with short black hair stumble as he tripped over a root. A moment later, a swarm of black and white consumed him, and she tried her best to drown out his terrified screams as the Grimm tore him apart. It didn't work.

Behind her, she heard a faint gasp of pain and fear, followed by a wet squelch accompanied by the cracking of bone. Someone, she didn't know who, was just crushed underfoot by a Grimm, and to her alarm, it sounded remarkably close. She forced her body to keep going, but it wasn't enough. Her legs and lungs burned in agony, and her vision was beginning to blur to the point where she could hardly see a few feet in front of her. Everything seemed to slow down as she realized what was about to happen. Against her will, her body began to slow down despite her attempts to keep up her momentum.

Then she felt a great weight slam onto her back, knocking her down and pinning her beneath four massive clawed feet. The woman could only whimper as she felt the hot breath of a lupine Beowolf wash across her neck, and the last thing she felt was a pair of jaws biting down into it.

* * *

Qrow Branwen cursed himself as he ran past another group of panicking villagers fleeing the destruction of their home. He had been the Huntsman in the area when the distress call went out coming from the village of Midori. A massive Grimm had attacked them out of nowhere, and now hordes of Grimm were swarming upon them. He had already taken out dozens of Beowolves and Ursa, but he ran past more dead bodies than he cared to count.

'_Dammit. I should've been here sooner,_' Qrow thought, cursing himself over all the dead people he passed. How many people could've been spared had he been just a few minutes quicker? At the same time, Qrow knew going down that road was a recipe for disaster, and so he forced himself not to think about it as he ran past a cluster of trees.

There he stopped upon noticing a pair of Beowolves running towards a mother, father, and child. Without even needing to think, Qrow boosted himself forward with Harbinger already swinging, the sword carving into one Grimm's neck with enough force to lop it off completely. Continuing his momentum, Qrow spun and stabbed the remaining Beowulf in the eye and out the other end before it even had time to react. It twitched for a moment then went still and disintegrated into a cloud of black smoke. Qrow quickly scanned the area for any more Grimm, and when he found none, he turned his head towards the dumbfounded family and pointed towards the forest where he just came from.

"That way is clear, go!" Qrow barked. The family flinched, then recomposed themselves and nodded before running away as fast as they could. The Huntsman didn't spare them a second glance, instead continuing to run towards where he knew the Grimm were. It was easy, for all he had to do was follow the screams.

Qrow then came across a Beowolf chowing down on the carcass of some poor, unfortunate woman. Her body was so mangled that he couldn't make out any details about what she might've looked like. Grinding his teeth, Qrow turned Harbinger into a onehanded shotgun and fired a shell into the Grimm's skull, popping it like a balloon just as it turned to face him. The body dropped and disintegrated as he ran past, and Qrow continued racing towards the carnage ensuing before him.

As he got closer and closer to the village, Qrow could see the orange fires light up the night sky and thick columns of black smoke rising into the air like trees. Ash fell like snowflakes, and Qrow frowned as he finally reached the broken remains of the one mighty wall that encased the village. It was broken completely through in several places, forming massive gaps that easily allowed Grimm to enter like water through a sieve. There were so many dead bodies lining streets that he didn't dare begin to try and count, and pools of blood stained everywhere he could see. The smell was the worst part, an overwhelming stench that poisoned everything it touched. Even if they could clear out the Grimm from this area, Qrow doubted anyone would every try to come back. The stench of death was one that was notoriously difficult to get out.

A faint crunch of brick caught Qrow's attention. He tilted his head, trying to find its source. Everything fell silent, and Qrow's grip on Harbinger's handle tightened. A few moments passed, but Qrow didn't let himself think for a second that he was just hearing things. Then he felt his senses scream at him, and Qrow spun around and swung Harbinger just as a Beowolf leaped towards him from atop a nearby ruined house. The blade cleaved through its side and bisected the beast, causing both halves to fall harmlessly beside him. As the Grimm disintegrated, a chorus of growls and barks sounded around him, and Qrow braced himself while shifting Harbinger into a curved scythe.

"Alright," Qrow said aloud to no one in particular, spotting numerous pairs of blood-red eyes peering at him from the darkness. "Who's first?"

All the Grimm around him responded at once by charging forward, their paws ripping apart the brick road and their jaws snarling. As they grew close, Qrow disappeared into a blur as he swung his scythe at the closest Grimm beside him. The curved blade slashed into the Grimms' flesh, carving deep wounds that felled the younger specimens easily. The elder, more experienced and powerful Grimm merely stumbled, but Qrow jumped and ran atop one while dragging the tip of Harbinger through its back to finish it off.

As soon as Qrow landed, he was beset on all sides by a sea of black and white. He didn't care that he was surrounded. It didn't give the Grimm any real advantage, just gave him more targets to take out his anger on. One Grimm, a bear-like Ursa, tried to run him down from behind. Qrow didn't even spare it a glance as he spun Harbinger behind him vertically, the blade stabbing into the bottom of its head and the momentum bringing the still-twitching creature forward and down into the ground before him like a spiked hammer. Several Grimm were crushed underneath, but many more simply ran over the disintegrating corpse like it was nothing. As he sliced apart a small swarm of Creepers while running for cover, Qrow heard a screech as a Nevermore flew overhead. The large, monstrous bird flapped its wings, sending a volley of razor-sharp feathers towards him that he had to bob side to side just to avoid. They planted themselves deep into the ground, one of which did so right in front of him.

Without skipping a beat, Qrow jumped onto the feather with enough force to bend it back as the Nevermore flew away. Then the tension released and launched the veteran Huntsmen like a catapult, launching Qrow towards Nevermore at great speed. It barely had time to comprehend Qrow's tactic as he swung Harbinger through its neck, cutting it off and sending the monster hurtling towards the ground below. It crushed scores of Grimm underneath, and as Qrow descended towards the ground, he fired Harbinger's shotgun into the horde below to further thin their ranks.

When he landed, everything became a blur as Qrow swung, stabbed, punched, and kicked his way through the remainder of the Grimm. A Beowolf would lunge at him, only for Qrow to duck and fire a shot into its exposed head. A Boarbatusk spun along the ground while carving a deep trench, but he merely sidestepped the creature and hooked it into the air with his scythe. As it flailed helplessly, Qrow stabbed into its belly and killed it, backhanding away another Beowolf as it tried to catch him without his weapon ready. As the Boarbatusk disintegrated, Qrow swung his scythe down in a heavy blow to stab into the Beowolf's brain, followed by him jumping into the air, flipping vertically and continuing his swing to kill another Ursa coming at him from behind.

The combat continued to the point where it became nothing more than a dull routine. Qrow preferred it that way. When things got exciting was when things tended to go horribly wrong, not that they hadn't already. The ruined village around him was enough proof of that, which prevented him from taking much solace from his oncoming victory. There were only a handful of Grimm left, which by now were cautiously regarding him. Qrow could tell that they were debating whether or not to continue the attack or flee to try another day. That couldn't be allowed to happen. A surviving Grimm was a smarter Grimm, one that could easily kill someone else down the line. If he wanted to try and prevent another village like Midori from suffering this fate, he had to kill them all here and now. No matter what it took.

One of the surviving Grimm decided to try and press the attack, preparing to charge once again only for Qrow to immediately pump its head full of Burn-Dust infused rounds that set its body aflame. Another was frozen as ice-shells were fired into it, and another was consumed by electricity. The final two Grimm then decided that trying to attack was foolish and turned to flee. Qrow was on one instantly, jumping ahead and swinging Harbinger into its side to bisect it. The other, an Alpha Beowolf, was too far away for Qrow's weapon to reach, and he focused on it just as it passed underneath a ruined building. Then, with an imperceptible pulse of his Aura, a precipitously placed broken beam that was barely hanging on suddenly fell free, falling on top of the Beowolf and breaking its back underneath its massive weight. The rest of the building, now without a critical support, collapsed on top of the Grimm as well, and Qrow numbly stared as wisps of black smoke drifted upward.

After taking one final glance around the village, Qrow sighed and sat down. Exhaustion was now beginning to take hold, and so he placed Harbinger on the ground next to him and looked up at the horizon just as the Sun began to rise.

* * *

_Sanus, Kingdom of Vale, Patch Island_

_November 15__th__, 69 A.G.W. 23:50 Hours_

With heavy feet, Qrow slowly trudged along the dirt path. It wasn't that he was tired, far from it in fact. Rather, Qrow was coming down from a nasty hangover. A sense of shame permeated his soul, and try as he might, it was hard for him to ignore it. He knew his family didn't like his habit, little Ruby especially, but after everything he'd seen and done, it proved hard to put the bottle away at times. At the very least he didn't let it affect his work or family, so he had that going for him.

Overhead, the light of the shattered moon and the endless sea of stars lit his way, and only the sounds of nighttime birds and insects accompanied him. There were no Grimm that he could see, which was good. Both he and Tai always made sure that any Grimm that appeared on the island were disposed of in short order. Patch was home to many families, including their own, so they were more than happy to do so. None of the residents knew exactly where the Grimm came from on Patch, and even Qrow wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that _she_ was responsible, somehow.

Once again, Qrow felt his thoughts begin to drift towards Remnant's ancient enemy, yet before he could fall into that rabbit hole once again, he entered sight of the log cabin he called home. His worries began to fade away, and he sighed in relief as he walked up to the porch. It wasn't actually his house, rather it belonged to his best friend, Taiyang Xiao Long, and his two daughters, Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose. Qrow himself didn't actually have a house of his own. His work as a Huntsman took him all over the world, and it was impractical for him to have a permanent home that he would have to care for, maintain, and so on. Tai was more than willing to have him stay with them while he was on Patch, and Qrow was more than happy to take him up on that offer if only so he could be around his two nieces. More than anything else, he adored those two, and there would be hell to pay if anything were to happen to them.

It was just as Qrow reached for the door handle that he heard a faint conversation coming from the roof of the cabin. He recognized their young, feminine voices immediately, and he smiled softly to himself before stepping away and creeping along to the back of the house. He couldn't make out what Ruby and Yang were saying at first, but as he got closer, he rolled his eyes at the conversation they were having.

"You mean an alien?" he heard Yang asked. Ruby must've done something, as Yang followed with, "Is this because of that movie with the alien and the bike we just watched?"

"Yeah, I know, but still," Ruby complained, with Yang laughing soon after. Qrow immediately connected the dots, and again he smiled. Despite being only five years old, Ruby Rose was already proving to have quite the overactive imagination. Mostly involving knights and fairy tales and other heroic stories. She was all in on that type of stuff. For her part, Yang mostly played along, but Qrow could tell she was interested in them, too. Both girls had a fire in their hearts, and it was becoming increasingly obvious as to what their career paths would be. Although part of Qrow wished for them to stay as far away from the life of a Huntress as possible, he knew that wasn't going to happen. And as he'd recently witnessed, a lack of training was no guarantee of a safe life in this messed up world. So, instead he'd support them every step of the way. Not that he'd make it easy on them, of course. Being a Huntress was hard work, and both he and Tai intended to make that very clear.

As Qrow leaned against the exterior of the house underneath Ruby and Yang, his two nieces continued their conversation.

"Heh heh," Yang laughed. "To be honest Ruby, I guess I hadn't put much thought into it. I imagine there's something out there. Uncle Qrow says space is _big_."

"Do you think we'll ever meet them?" Ruby innocently asked, and Qrow shook his head.

"Yeah, I think we will," Yang firmly answered after a moment's pause. "Do you?"

"Definitely. And I just know that, whoever they are, we'll be friends. I'm sure of it."

Both Yang and Qrow laughed, the blonde much more boisterously while Qrow's was more subdued.

"Ruby, if anyone can befriend an alien, I'm sure it'll be you. And if they're not, your big sis will be right there to kick their butts."

"Yeah!"

Qrow rolled his eyes and crossed his arms then mentally counted down. Just as his 'timer' reached zero, Ruby indignantly shouted, "Hey!"

"What?"

"You're saying I can't defend myself, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not!" Yang replied, offended at the accusation.

"You are, too! Just because you're older than me doesn't mean I'm helpless, you know! Maybe I'll be the one kicking their butts."

"In your dreams, maybe," Yang retorted haughtily. Ruby growled, but before she could say anything else, Qrow decided that now was the time to step in.

"Hey, what're you kids doing up there? Isn't it past your bedtime?" Qrow asked. Immediately the two girls fell silent while he stepped out from under them. Their expressions were frozen in shock, but while Yang's slowly morphed into one of nervousness, Ruby's eyes widened and sparkled with joy as a large, toothy smile broke out across her face.

"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby cheered, then to Qrow's surprise she leaped off the roof towards him. Qrow easily caught her, and Ruby wrapped her arms around his body while bringing her face close to his. "Did you miss me?! Did you miss me?!"

Qrow hummed to himself for a moment, looking up at the sky as though deep in thought, before looking back down at Ruby with a small smirk.

"Nope," he said, popping the 'p'. Ruby pouted for a moment before Qrow laughed and ruffled her hair. At once, Ruby let go and planted her feet on the ground, waving her hands over her head to get Qrow to stop. He laughed at her antics, then placed his hands on his hips and looked up at both Ruby and Yang, who was now climbing her way down to join them.

"Now then," Qrow began, giving his voice a slightly disappointed tone, "you two didn't answer my question. Is there a reason why you two aren't in bed yet?"

"Uh…" both girls mumbled, clearly not wanting to give an answer. Qrow rolled his eyes, then motioned for the two girls to follow him. They did so silently, dragging their feet as though they were in trouble. Just as they reached the back door, Qrow turned around and raised his finger to his mouth.

"Be quiet," he whispered. "Let's not let your dad know you two were up just yet. It'll be our little secret, 'kay?"

Ruby and Yang looked up at Qrow in shocked surprise before both smiled and nodded their heads frantically. Qrow nodded back, then slowly opened the door and allowed them inside. The trio tiptoed their way across the wooden floors and up the stairs, and soon found themselves in Ruby and Yang's shared room. Both girls practically leaped into their beds as Qrow stood against the doorframe, watching as they both tucked themselves in and turned their little heads to face him.

"You squirts all set?" he asked. Yang nodded, but before Qrow could even think about leaving, Ruby shook her head.

"Wait!" she said, then slightly tilted her head down while giving Qrow her infamous puppy-dog eyes. "Can you tell us a story?"

"Eh, I don't know. It is pretty late," Qrow said, bringing his hand to his chin. Ruby clearly didn't appreciate this answer as she frowned and waved her arms around petulantly.

"Tell us a story!" she demanded, giving her beloved uncle the best stare-down she could muster. Yang gasped dramatically, while Qrow merely laughed and closed the door.

"Alright, alright. But," Qrow replied, raising a finger, "only if you say please."

"Can you tell us a story, please?" Ruby cheerfully asked, scooching over on her bed to offer Qrow a place to sit. He sat down with a soft grunt, then motioned for Yang to come over and join them. She did so eagerly, soon tucking herself in under the covers next to her sister.

"Now, what story would you two like to hear?" Qrow asked.

"_The Girl in the Tower_!" Yang immediately suggested, but Ruby blew a raspberry in response.

"No way, we've already heard that one. How about," Ruby hummed, tapping her chin before gasping in delight, "_The Story of the Seasons!_"

"Oh, so we can hear a story you like again but not mine?" Yang asked with a soft glare. Ruby pouted, but Qrow merely laughed.

"Alright, alright. Settle down, you two." The young girls did as they were told, and Qrow nodded to himself while reaching through his mind to find a story that the two would find interesting. Soon enough, he settled on one, and his nieces recognized the look on his face to settle in with grins on their own.

"Now then, this story is something I was told when I was a boy. Long ago, before the kingdoms were founded, the Grimm ruled the world through tooth and claw. Mankind was their prey, and nothing we could do deterred them. Our spears broke against their hides, our shields splintered from their blows, and the best we could do to avoid them was to run and hide. It was a dark age for everyone, an era shrouded by fear and darkness. The world had been this way for so long that no one knew any different, so no one tried to change it.

"Until, one day, a man had enough. He wasn't anyone special. Just a farmer living off the land, but he could see the devastation the Grimm had wrought on those around him. He vowed to find a way to stop them, to help protect people from the Grimm so that they would no longer live in fear. So, he traveled the land, searching every nook and cranny for any advantage he could share. For many years, he searched futilely, and many times he came close to giving up. But he kept pressing on, knowing that should he succeed, mankind would flourish.

"After years of searching, the man eventually picked up a trail of something that could possibly help him achieve his lifelong dream. A great, ancient tree said to give those who eat its fruit wonderous power. He was an old man by then, his body failing him, yet he pressed on regardless. He climbed the highest peaks and crept through the deepest caves, facing untold and unheard-of dangers that would've felled any lesser. Yet still, he pressed on, and eventually he found what he had been searching for. After so many years, the man found the tree. It was the size of a mountain, its branches extending for as far as the eye could see, and atop its highest branch that touched the sky itself was a lone, silver apple.

"A single look upon the fruit told him that this was what he had been searching for. If he could just get to it, a single bite would give him all the answers. And so, despite his elderly body, he began to climb. It took many days and nights, only stopping to rest on large branches for brief moments at a time, and eventually he managed to reach the apple. The man gingerly took the apple in his hands, admiring it, then took a single bite out of its flesh. At first, nothing happened, and he was worried that his quest was for naught. But, he then felt a great power course through his veins. Strength he had never known before filled him, and a great light shone from his body as though he were the Sun itself.

"When the light died down, the old man found himself to be stronger and faster than he had ever been, even in the prime yesteryears of his life. At first, he believed the apple was what gave him his power, but soon he realized the truth. The apple wasn't the source to power itself. It merely unlocked what was already there, for the apple unlocked the power of his soul and brought it to the surface. Emboldened by this revelation, the man took the apple from the tree and carried it with him across the land. He shared it with everyone. Rich and poor, young and old, human and faunus. All enjoyed its taste, the fruit miraculously never diminishing despite more and more people sharing in its bounty. Only when everyone had the power of their souls brought to bear did the man cease, overjoyed that his quest had been fulfilled. Together, they learned how to shape their souls, many learning how to pass the skill on to others without the use of the apple at all. New skills were learned and taught, and even the secrets of the elemental Dust was unlocked for all to share. It was then that the man returned the apple to the tree, then rested at its trunk and passed peacefully.

"That is how Aura came to bear, and we must all remember the man's sacrifice. For without him and his faith in mankind's ability to protect themselves and the ones we love, everything we know would not exist."

Qrow finished his tale, whispering quietly as he gently rubbed his nieces' heads. They were droopily looking up at him with smiles on their faces, and soon their expressions softened as they fell fast asleep.

* * *

_Sanus, Kingdom of Vale, Beacon Academy_

_November 16__th__, 69 A.G.W. 09:15 Hours_

Ozpin sighed as he placed his now empty mug on the table. Qrow's after-action report was laying on the table before him, detailing the veteran Huntsman's attempt to save Midori Village. Out of nearly six hundred villagers, less than a hundred managed to reach safety in nearby Kuroyuri. The attack had come out of nowhere, heralded by the arrival of a single Grimm. Qrow only managed to get a glimpse of the creature, and what he described told the secretive headmaster that this particular Grimm must have been decades old at least. Qrow had seen dozens of weapons, including swords, spears, and arrows, sticking out of its back, signs of battles it had long since won. More tellingly, once it saw Qrow, it hadn't moved to engage immediately. Instead, it sent hordes of Grimm forward to test Qrow's strength, and upon finding the Huntsman unimpeded, the Grimm rather than risking itself.

"I'm telling you, Oz. That thing led the Grimm to Midori. We need to hunt it down before it targets Kuroyuri or any of the other surrounding villages," Qrow insisted. Ozpin thought it over for a moment, then nodded.

"I agree. It's much too big of a threat to ignore. Any idea where it went?"

"Not a damn one," Qrow admitted with a huff, sitting down and crossing his arms. "You wouldn't think a Grimm that big would move that fast, but it was. By the time I finally gave chase, it was long gone."

"Couldn't you have followed the tracks?"

"If I didn't have to worry about the villagers, sure. Wasn't about to do that, though. Besides, a rainstorm blew through on my way back. Any trail it might've left is long gone."

"You made the right call," Ozpin immediately declared, proud of his agent's decision. As much as killing Grimm was a Huntsman's job, protecting humanity was much more important. "I'll contact Leonardo, have him send Huntsmen in the area to track it down. Hopefully, we can find its lair before it can hurt anyone else."

"You want me to go with?" Qrow asked, almost expectantly. But Ozpin instead smiled and shook his head.

"No, there's no need," Ozpin insisted. Qrow moved to object, but Ozpin calmly raised his hand and silenced the Huntsman. "Qrow, Mistral has more than enough Huntsmen and Huntresses to handle one Grimm. Besides, how long has it been since you've spent time with your family?"

Qrow thought for a moment, then sighed. "Before last night? At least three months. Kinda lost track, you know?" He sighed again, then his brow furrowed as a small frown crossed his lips. Immediately, Ozpin knew what thought had crossed his agent's mind, and a pang of sadness and disappointment shot through his heart.

"How's Taiyang?" Ozpin asked. It had been a while since he had seen his former student, and after everything that had happened to the poor man, it was hard not to worry. He had lost so much in so short a time.

"Getting better," Qrow admitted. "Didn't get much chance to talk to him this morning before I flew over here, but overall he's finally starting to move on. Ruby and Yang are a big help there."

"How are your nieces, by the way?"

"The usual. Hyperactive, way too smart for their own good, and itching to follow in their family's footsteps." Qrow wistfully smiled and shook his head. "Gods, I love those girls, even when they do something stupid."

"I pray it wasn't a repeat of Yang's mishap," Ozpin said, somewhat worried, but Qrow quickly shook his head to assuage Ozpin's fears.

"No, no. Nothing like that, thank the Gods. They just stayed up way too late when I got in. Some movie they saw got them talking about aliens or some shit."

Despite himself, Ozpin couldn't help but laugh. "My, what a pair of overactive imaginations."

"Yeah, they're something alright. Ruby's convinced she'll become friends with them, and I didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. Besides," Qrow's expression hardened, becoming more serious as he shifted topics once again, "we have problems down here of our own."

"That we do," Ozpin agreed just as his deputy headmistress entered the room.

"Qrow, Professor Ozpin," Glynda Goodwitch announced as she strode across the room, taking a seat next to Qrow while laying her wand across her lap. She nodded towards Ozpin in greeting, then turned to face her compatriot. "I trust your mission went well?"

"I wouldn't say that," Qrow admitted with a shrug. "The village was already being attacked by the time I got there, things went belly up. Not a pretty picture."

Glynda frowned. She wanted to express condolences, but the looks on both of the men's faces told her there was no need. So, she instead smoothed out her purple skirt and straightened herself to stare directly into Ozpin's calm gaze. After a few moments, Ozpin nodded towards both and pressed his hand against a small section of his desk. Immediately, the lights dimmed, and the glass windows darkened, allowing a holographic projection to form in the middle of the room. It showed a light-blue globe of Remnant, each kingdom clearly marked alongside major cities around the world. Vale, Atlas, Mantle, Shade, Argus, even the burgeoning settlement of Kuo Kuana on the island of Menagerie.

"Grimm activity across protected territories are minimal, with no major incursions to speak of," Glynda began, moving her hand around the holographic globe to highlight the dark-blue landmasses directly settled by humanity. These areas were the most secure on the planet, each hosting sizable and heavily defended cities and farmlands. Most of the population lived in these areas, so their security was of utmost importance.

"Unfortunately, the outskirts aren't so lucky, as Qrow's reports can attest to. Grimm attacks are on track to be two percent higher this time of year than last," Glynda continued, now highlighting areas marked in yellow. Unlike the blue, these territories were much larger, bridging most of the gap between the more heavily defended and settled cities across the continents. These lands were sparsely populated, mostly with small villages and burgeoning cities that were hoping to become the next Argus. Most didn't make it, but to many the risk was worth the reward. The promise of a free, open life was appealing to many, if they chose to take that risk, who was Ozpin to judge them?

"Any reason for that?" Ozpin asked.

"Couple different things, really. The biggest one? A lot of the outskirt communities were local Dust miners. Things were going well, then the SDC rolled in and put 'em out of business. Any jobs they then offer after the fact are absolutely terrible, both in pay and safety standards. That tends to rile people up a bit."

Qrow scowled, and neither Ozpin nor Glynda could blame him. For the past several years, the once illustrious Schnee Dust Company had been undergoing a radical culture shift under the direction of their new CEO, Jacques Schnee. Whereas under its founder, Nicholas Schnee, the SDC was focused on sustainability, slow and steady growth that would benefit entire communities, and fostering goodwill with the people, the SDC under Jacques had taken a highly expansionistic, if not outright predatory stance. Jacques saw everyone who worked in the Dust trade as a competitor that needed to be destroyed, no matter how big or small, and he was pulling every legal trick in the book to do it. The SDC was well on its way to becoming a monopoly, but despite how much Ozpin wanted to do something about it, he couldn't. The Dust trade was far too important to Remnant's economy and defense, and one good thing coming from the SDC's expansion, at least in the eyes of the kingdoms, was the increased efficiency and lowered cost of acquiring it. Stopping Jacques would mean disrupting that vital lifeline, and that was something Ozpin couldn't do. Ozpin added this to his ever-expanding list of failures, then moved on. Glynda understood his unspoken signal, then moved her hand around the globe to highlight the territories marked in red.

With the exception of most of the northwestern continent, the red-marked Grimmlands were few and far between. But, at the same time, they were infamous across the planet for being inhospitable. They were ruled only by the oldest and most powerful Grimm. Any who ventured in did so at great risk, and most didn't return. More importantly, it was through these Grimmlands that _she_ enacted her twisted plans, striking out through a sanctuary none dared to attack.

"Qrow, did you find any evidence of Salem's activities?" Ozpin quietly asked, looking at his agent from the corner of his eye. After a moment, Qrow shook his head.

"No, outside of some of her…creations." Qrow shuddered. "I'm telling you, Oz. She's planning something. I don't know what, or where, or even when, but from what you've told me, Salem's been awfully quiet."

"Hmm, I was afraid I was the only one picking up on that," Ozpin replied, bringing his hands together and resting his elbows on his table. He thought for a moment, then sighed and closed his eyes. "I take it you weren't able to find a trail or any of her agents?"

"No, sorry."

"It's alright. Unfortunately, that does leave us at an impasse. We know she is planning something, but without knowing what or where, it's impossible to react accordingly. We'd be going on wild goose chases that lead nowhere, which is exactly what she wants."

"What do you suggest we do?" Glynda asked.

"Continue as normal, I'm afraid. There isn't much else we can do at the moment. Best not to play her game."

Glynda and Qrow thought for a moment, then nodded. Ozpin nodded back, then leaned back in his chair to study the globe more.

"Outside of potential subterfuge, there are a few more potential causes of concern. Ghira Belladonna's White Fang, despite currently preaching nonviolence in the name of Faunus Equality, has shown some members within its ranks who are more willing to employ violence to achieve their goals. A few days ago, a White Fang convoy with Ghira at the head was attacked by a small group of anti-Faunus extremists, several of which were killed. This is the second incident in the past six months. Coupled by the increasingly public discourse between Ghira and his chief lieutenant Sienna Khan, I worry that he won't be able to contain the radicals forever."

Ozpin sighed. "Can't say I blame them, but violence, even for a just cause, is never the answer. I fear Sienna doesn't realize that by giving into our baser instincts, we open the doors for something far worse to take its place. Have the councils tried reaching out to Ghira?"

"The latest incident is being used as an excuse not to."

Qrow darkly chuckled, "Of course, why am I not surprised?"

"Indeed," Ozpin said, then sighed and shook his head. "I'll speak to the Vale council again, make sure any reactionary feelings are stamped down. Besides the SDC and the White Fang, are there any other causes of concern?"

"For Remnant as a whole? No," Glynda revealed, slight relief in her voice. "So long as there isn't a major jolt to the system, we should be fine."

Ozpin smiled and nodded, bringing his hands together once again before resting them on the table.

"That's good to hear."

* * *

_Solitas, Kingdom of Atlas, Weltraum Observatory_

_November 28__th__, 69 A.G.W. 9:00 Hours_

General James Ironwood watched as his personal Bullhead flew past the Solitas tundra. Ice and snow covered everything as far as the eye could see, and on the horizon, he could see the faint edge of a mountain range. Occasionally, Ironwood would see a penguin or polar bear wandering around, and tufts of snow billowed from the wind. Otherwise, he could see nothing more than snow.

"Beautiful," Ironwood muttered under his breath, leaning his cybernetic arm against the glass viewport to get a better look. Whereas others saw only a cold, desolate wasteland, he saw the truth. Solitas, and the Kingdom of Atlas, was beautiful. Here he saw the greatest examples of humanity, where people came together to brave the elements and forge a bright new future for themselves. Atlas, much like their eponymous city, had risen above the harsh terrain to become the greatest kingdom on the planet, and he was honored to have become its General. It was an honor bestowed upon him for a lifetime of military service, and he hoped he'd rise to its station.

Today, however, wasn't the day for ruminations. Instead, it was a day for curiosity to take hold. Ironwood's longtime friend and colleague, Doctor Pietro Polendina, had been begging him for years for the funding of this side-project of his. The Weltraum Observatory, the largest, most advanced of its kind in the world, with sensors and instruments sensitive enough to detect objects on the far side of the solar system. All designed and built by Pietro and his team, of course. It had been a monumental undertaking to construct, even more to convince the council to go along with it. Ironwood could understand the council's concern. Building an observatory took time and resources away from other vital projects, such as CCT maintenance, training of Huntsmen and Huntresses, or Atlas' military buildup. All important projects, but Pietro had won the general over. Or, rather, broken down he could say. Still, as the observatory came into view, Ironwood allowed himself to faintly smile.

Nestled on the top of a mountain, far away from any city lights, laid the Weltraum Observatory. It was a large, white, domed structure made of metal that glistened in the sun. Ice hung off its ledges, and flags displaying the symbol of Atlas, a spear encased in a machine-like circle, fluttered back and forth. As his Bullhead made its way to the landing pad, the thrusting air causing the flags to flutter more violently, Ironwood spotted a dark-skinned man with brown hair and a dark-green jacket standing at the far end alongside a squadron of soldiers. He was covering his face from the bitter, icy wind with his sleeve, but despite the discomfort, Ironwood could see the smile on Pietro's face.

Finally, with a loud clunk, the Bullhead landed on the pad. The doors swiveled opened, and Ironwood's escorts hopped out as he calmly walked onto the pad, his hands crossed behind his back.

"General Ironwood!" Pietro called out as he walked towards the general, a large smile on his face. Ironwood looked at the scientist stoically at first, then relaxed into a smile once Pietro got close.

"Pietro, I've told you. Please, call me James. We're friends, remember?" Ironwood insisted, and Pietro laughed.

"Yes, yes. Of course, James," Pietro laughed, placing his hands on his hips. "So, tell me. Anything interesting happen since I've been out here?"

"Oh, the usual. Mindless politics, Jacques Schnee being a pain in my ass," Ironwood declared with a dramatic sigh. "Sometimes I miss the days when I was simply an officer. When I got promoted, I didn't anticipate politics would prove to be worse to deal with than the Grimm."

Pietro chuckled and shook his head. "I'll bet. Now then," Pietro paused to rub his hands together, his breath turning into mist in the arctic air, "let's get inside so I can show you what we've built here."

"I'd like that very much," Ironwood said. As much as he loved his homeland, even he could only spend so much time in the cold before it became unbearable. They soon went inside, the soldiers saluting him as the two men entered the observatory. At once, the blast of warm air filled Ironwood's body with relief, and the two men took off their heavy coats and hung them on racks before continuing on.

"Now, James," Pietro started as they walked along a corridor lined with complex electronic and sensor equipment, "I can assure you that this facility is top of the line. We spared no expense to give astronomers and astrophysicists the best tools they need to make discoveries that will change the world!"

"Such as?" Ironwood asked, passing by a large room with a glass wall. It contained a variety of monitors and equipment, all run by technicians and scientists, and Pietro stopped to proudly place his hand against the glass.

"State-of-the-art spectrometers and spectrographs, radio, x-ray, and microwave telescope arrays. We can look at an object in infrared, visual, ultraviolet, gamma rays, everything you can think of. We even have spectroscopes to study the compositions of stars, including our own."

Ironwood nodded along as Pietro continued to explain. If he had to be honest, half of what Pietro was saying was flying over his head. Ironwood's mind was adapted to military strategy and troop tactics, not complex scientific formulas and instruments. Luckily, Pietro was cognizant enough to skim over the finer details. All Ironwood needed to know was whether or not it worked, which Pietro was more than willing to show as they continued their tour to the top of the observatory.

"This," Pietro declared as they entered the dome, gesturing towards a large cylinder pointing out of an opening along the roof, "is the pride and joy of our team here, James. This is the Weltraum Telescope, a thirty-foot aperture telescope that can rotate three-hundred-and-sixty degrees across this entire observatory. With it, we can accurately detail an object on the far side of the solar system to conduct spectral analysis, measure its size, weight, and mass. All of the sensors and equipment I showed you earlier feeds into it, allowing us to measure anything we see on the fly."

James nodded. "Sounds like everything revolves around it."

"It does, indeed!" Pietro proclaimed, a large smile breaking out as a tall, thin, mustached man walked over.

"Ah, General Ironwood, Doctor Polendina. A pleasure for you two to join us this morning," the man greeted in a sarcastic, haughty tone. Ironwood frowned lightly as the two locked eyes, but Pietro didn't seem to notice as he slapped his large hand on the taller man's shoulder.

"James, let me introduce you to Doctor Arthur Watts!" Pietro said, hoping for the two men to greet each other warmly. Unfortunately for the kindly doctor, neither man made to offer such a greeting.

"We've met," Ironwood stated plainly, and Arthur chuckled.

"Yes, it was quite the…experience, I should say," Arthur replied, looking at both Ironwood and Pietro with a gaze that screamed 'I'm better than both of you.' Ironwood had only met the man once, and already knew everything he needed to know about Doctor Arthur Watts. One, he was a brilliant scientist second only to Pietro himself. Both were omni-disciplinary in their fields of study, but whereas Pietro focused primarily on robotics, Arthur focused instead on programming. The two made quite an effective pair, but Ironwood could see the arrogance and sense of superiority in Arthur's eyes. Frankly, Ironwood thought he was a pain in the ass, but Arthur Watts was in charge of creating Mantle's code alongside a litany of other military projects, so he'd put up with him. It didn't mean he had to like it, and unlike politicians, Ironwood had no reason to pretend otherwise.

"Now then, Doctor," Arthur continued as he turned towards Pietro, a small disdainful expression crossing his face as he regarded his colleague, "I'll let you show him what we've found so far. If you'll excuse me."

Before Pietro could say a word, Arthur turned around and sulked away, his hands in his pockets and his back slightly hunched forward. Ironwood watched him go with a small frown as the doctor sat back on his station, looking over a monitor before Ironwood sighed and turned back to Pietro.

"How you put up with him is beyond me," Ironwood admitted, and Pietro chuckled.

"I can admit, Arthur can be a little difficult at times. But I assure you, he's a brilliant man. Give him time, I know you two will get along eventually."

"I very much doubt that," Ironwood mumbled, then straightened himself out. "Moving on, he said that you already had data to share?"

"Yes, actually!" Pietro exclaimed as he led Ironwood towards a station located on the outer wall. "We've only been active for less than a week and we've already gotten stellar images of our solar system. Here, come see!"

Pietro pulled up a selection of images and moved the chair for Ironwood to sit in. The general did so, focusing his attention on the various readouts displayed. True to Pietro's word, the data was quite extensive. They had managed to obtain images and data on every planet in the solar system, from the gas giants Hullum and Sorola and their smaller rocky cousin, Ramsey. The star Oum was shown in a few, with its spectral analysis detailing it was mostly made of seventy-three percent hydrogen and twenty-four percent helium, along with scant amounts of oxygen, carbon, neon, and iron.

"This is incredible," Ironwood had to admit. From the cursory reading that he had done on the flight over, most of this information was already known or at least theorized. But the information given was much more extensive than anything they had been able to gather before, and all at one place at once time.

"I have to admit, Pietro," Ironwood said as he leaned back on his chair, "when you told me you wanted to build an observatory, I was surprised. Didn't think you were into that."

"Admittedly, astronomy is more of a hobby of mine," Pietro admitted, causing Ironwood's brow to slightly rise in amusement as the general looked around the multi-million lien building Pietro had sunk into his 'hobby'. "But I know that others will be able to use this building to further our understanding, bettering all of us."

"And be a great symbol for Atlas," Ironwood finished as he stood up, fully satisfied. In the end, that really was the reason why Weltraum Observatory was even approved. The council was always hungry for anything to flaunt the Kingdom of Atlas to the world, from the CCT tower to Amity Coliseum. Having the most advanced observatory in the world, one that would be freely shared between every kingdom, was the latest. A small frown crossed Pietro's face, and Ironwood knew why. The doctor would've much rather preferred the simple desire for science to have been the reason why Weltraum was constructed, but Ironwood knew that they couldn't always get what they wanted. At least by being a simple of Atlesian superiority and generosity would Pietro's desires come to pass.

"Well then, Pietro," Ironwood said as he turned towards his friend. "Is there anything else you wanted to show me before I head back to Atlas?"

Pietro snapped himself out of his funk and thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, actually. The telescope is currently pointed at the Two Brothers. Would you like to see them?"

"The Two Brothers?" Ironwood asked, slightly surprised. "Weltraum can see things that far?"

"Blurry, but yes. We've already taken a few photos, but this will be the first time we've focused all of our instruments on the dwarf planets."

"I see." Ironwood pursed his lips and thought. The Two Brothers were a pair of celestial bodies discovered following the Great War. They were dwarf planets that orbited each other perfectly, their gravities intersecting just right so that the center was exactly between them. It didn't take long for the name to be suggested, and it stuck ever since. As the farthest objects in their system, they had captured scientists' curiosities for decades, and it was only recently that any true study could be made. Ironwood thought it over, deciding if it interfered with his schedule or not, then figured another council meeting could wait just a tad longer.

"Sure, I have time," Ironwood finally stated. Pietro happily nodded, then motioned for one of the scientists to finish the rotation. With a loud groan, the observatory rotated ever so slightly, reorienting itself so that it was now pointed right where the Two Brothers were currently located. A moment later, the monitors attached to the wall sprung to life, and Ironwood saw two blurry objects floating out in the middle of space.

"Instrumentation good, all readings normal," a scientist called out as her hands flew across the keyboard.

"Ambient light interference minimal," another called out. One by one, the scientists, astronomers, and technicians issued status reports, and the sense of elation grew with each until finally the light was declared green. Ironwood looked at the jubilant scientists around him and allowed himself to smile ever so faintly. At the same time, data readouts and real-time analysis sped across the monitors, and soon the jubilation died down as the scientists buried themselves in their work.

"Well then," Ironwood spoke softly to Pietro as he turned to leave. "I best be on my way. I don't want to distract you all any further."

"Oh, but General you did no such thing?" Pietro protested, but Ironwood raised his hand to cut him off.

"Be that as it may, I do need to get back. Council meetings, you know the drill." Ironwood dramatically sighed, and Pietro rolled his eyes and smiled lightly.

"Well, if that is the case, allow me to escort you out. I did have you come out here, after all. It's the least I can do."

Ironwood smiled at this friend then nodded. "I'd appreciate that, Pietro. Let's—'

"Whoa!" a scientist suddenly called out in alarm, catching everyone's attention including Ironwood's and Pietro.

"What is it?" Pietro asked as he and Ironwood walked over.

"Radiation levels just spiked!" the scientist, a wolf Faunus with a pair of lupine ears atop his head, declared. True to his word, the level of background radiation around the Two Brothers had, for just a nanosecond, jumped dramatically. Upon seeing the type, Pietro's eyes widened.

"This is Hawking Radiation," he muttered. Seeing Ironwood's confused look, Pietro quickly explained, "It's a type of thermal radiation emitted by black holes due to quantum effects."

"Are you telling me a black hole just opened up on Remnant's doorstep?" Ironwood tersely asked, but Pietro shook his head.

"No, it disappeared almost immediately," Pietro said. "We only saw it because we were looking right at it. Complete coincidence, really. Odd, though."

"Yeah, odd," Ironwood replied softly, focusing on the visual image still displayed on the monitor. As before, they saw the Two Brothers slowly orbiting each other, and at first, Ironwood was going to end it at that and chalk the anomaly up to happenstance. But then he noticed something odd. A small object, almost indistinguishable to the naked eye, had now joined the Two Brothers. Had it not been for his years of military experience, Ironwood doubted he would've even seen it.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing towards the object in question. The scientists looked up, and after a moment found what he was looking at.

"It…looks like a meteorite," a scientist suggested. Ironwood raised his eyebrow and turned his head to look at the woman.

"One that came out of a black hole?"

"No, obviously not," she insisted. "Perhaps whatever caused the Hawking radiation pulled something in from the Oort cloud?"

"Perhaps," Pietro added, running his fingers across his keyboard. "It's drifting now."

"Keep an eye on it," Ironwood ordered, stepping away to make a call. His instincts were screaming at him to keep an eye on this development, which left him unavailable for the morning's council meeting. An hour passed and the entire observatory was still focused on the object. They were trying to calibrate its sensor array for the drifting object, which had been maintaining its orbit around the Two Brothers when it unexpectantly began to move.

"Hold on, the meteorite just broke orbit," a scientist called out.

"How?" another asked.

"My guess? The orbit must've been unstable and flew off."

"Is it heading towards us?" Ironwood asked. The last thing he wanted to hear was that a meteorite was heading towards Remnant. An impact from that high a velocity would be catastrophic.

"Yes, but slowly, and if the path is accurate, it should miss us by a couple million miles."

"Hmm." Ironwood hummed, then turned towards Pietro. "What's the spectral analysis on it?"

"We're still calibrating, but we should have it in a few moments," Pietro revealed just as the first scientist spoke up again.

"Hold on, it just sped up," he revealed in a confused tone.

"What?" Ironwood said. "What do you mean it 'sped up?'"

"Its blueshift increased."

"How did it speed up? It's a meteorite!"

"I don't know!"

Ironwood increasingly did not like this development. None of the scientists did, but Arthur seemed nonchalant about it.

"It's probably instrumentation failure," he suggested.

"Impossible," Pietro maintained. "I ran the inspections myself this morning. It was entirely functional."

"A lot can happen in a few hours, Doctor Polendina," Arthur pointed out. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Arthur Watts had a point. If there was one thing he learned in the Atlesian military, it was that things could go belly up in an instant. One moment, everything's peachy. The next, you're fighting for your life without a single warning. At least here it was a good deal less life-threatening. Still, he couldn't chalk this up to instrumentation failure, not until he was completely certain.

"Keep checking on it," Ironwood ordered, leaning on a computer desk while brushing up against a scientist. "Pietro, where are those reports?"

"Coming…now!" Pietro proclaimed as the state-of-the-art sensors and equipment began to analyze the object, which they could now tell was cylindric in shape. "I'm seeing… No, that can't be right."

"What does it read?" Ironwood asked, not in the mood for vague wordings. Pietro readjusted his glasses, then looked deeper into the readout.

"It says that the object is primarily composed of titanium, with trace amounts of iron, copper, chromium, and aluminum, among other elements," Pietro revealed.

"That doesn't seem so odd."

"What's odd is that, if I didn't know any better, I'd say these elements were fused together like an alloy," Pietro added with a focused expression.

"What are you on about?" Arthur scoffed. "Are you trying to tell us that a meteorite made out of titanium alloy is on its way towards us? Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm telling you, that's what the data says, Arthur."

"If that's the case, then again I raise my previous instrument failure hypothesis," Arthur shot back, then smirked. "Of course, if we want to delve down the rabbit hole, let's say that the meteorite is made out of a substance similar to titanium alloy. How did that happen? Enlighten me."

"Well," Pietro started, struggling to find an answer. "The meteorite…could've passed by a star just enough so that the metals melted down and formed a makeshift alloy."

"I find that hard to believe," Arthur Watts replied, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. Pietro looked at Ironwood for support, but Ironwood was finding it harder and harder to believe. A meteorite passing by a star, whether their own or another, just right to form a naturally occurred alloy stretched his imagination thin. He was beginning to come around to Arthur Watts' way of thinking, and that left a sour taste in his mouth. Yet, at the same time, he'd known Pietro Polendina for years. The man was hardly ever wrong, and so he wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, even if the instruments were wrong, they at least needed to determine if the meteorite was going to hit Remnant or not. Only then would he call it a day.

"How soon until we can get a clear image?" Ironwood asked, keeping his eye focused on the object as it continued its trek towards Remnant. The observatory was now focusing its entire array on the object, both the main telescope and the supplementary arrays on the surrounding mountains, so they were ready.

"At its current rate…" a technician called out, "about an hour. Maybe less."

"I want it on screen at all times," Ironwood ordered, digging his fingers deeper into the desk. A tense hour passed, with only the sound of nervous murmuring filling the air. Ironwood himself remained silent and focused, his attention never leaving the potentially deadly object as the image slowly grew clearer and clearer. They could make out more of it now. It was clearly metallic with how the sunlight reflected off of it. The front was thin, with the meteorite bulging slightly in the middle before widening even further at the back. The structure, however, confused General Ironwood greatly. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost say that it looked like a ship.

"What the hell is that?" a scientist whispered, the sound carrying across the entire room.

"I… I have no idea," Pietro replied.

"Alright," Arthur added, his tone betraying his newfound nervousness, "who's the prankster here? I want to know and have a little chat with you."

No one said a thing, and Ironwood suspected that the cause was that no one _was_ playing a prank. He prayed to the Brothers, though, that someone was, for the alternative was proving to be terrifying.

"Are those…lights?"

"That looks like hull plating."

"Look at the size of that thing. It's nearly five-thousand feet long."

Slowly, Ironwood's face paled. His breath quickened, and his eyes slowly contracted as a sense of fear rose from within him. His silent prayers increased their fervor, joined by a pitiful begging for him to be seeing things that weren't actually there.

Then, the image cleared enough to that they could see the object as clear as day. Ironwood's breath stopped as he took the image in its complete glory, his eyes focusing on the front end. Emblazoned on its side in stark white, made in such a way that was unable to be explained via natural forces, was the image of a bird, its wings held upward it was perched atop a round sphere. It was undeniable now. This object wasn't a meteorite, nor was it natural.

This was something _built_. _And it was heading right for them._

"Pietro," Ironwood said plainly, trying to keep his nervousness bottled down, "this observatory and all its equipment and faculty are now under the direct jurisdiction of the Atlesian military."

"Of…of course, James," Pietro replied, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging loosely. Ironwood nodded, his eyes never leaving the spacecraft. Any doubts he had remaining were dashed when he saw a blue glow emanating out the backside. Undoubtedly thrusters meant to move the vessel through space.

"If you'll excuse me," Ironwood continued, turning around to walk outside the room, "I need to contact the council."

"Whi…which one?"

"All of them."

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes! Here we have the First Contact between Remnant and the UNSC, but this time from Remnant's perspective. As you could see, panic is ensuing. Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for all their help bringing this story to life.

Now, onto the Q&A:

**Dragon lord Syed 101:** Glad you're enjoying it! While we're on the subject of Spacebattles, I will say that is the primary story discussion thread, simply because it's easier to discuss on that platform.

**NRF:** Nothing to that extreme, no. As for the ARC-920 Railgun and other Halo 4-era weapons (as in, weapons produced after the war), you'll have to see if the introduction of Remnant speeds development on them.

**Ceoko:** Thank you! I fully intend to.

**Jebest4781: **We have a lot of plans for this story, although in terms of tone, I intend for Dust and Echoes to be primarily a war story but one that has a tone that matches both Halo and RWBY.

**Steelrain66:** Thank you, truly. I'm glad you feel that way. To me, Halo and RWBY cross over so well not just because of Roosterteeth's history with the franchise. It's because both series share similar themes. Dangers of extremism, unity vs division, hope in the face of impossible odds, overcoming those impossible odds, etc. One just has aliens in a more grounded sci-fi environment while the other has magic and shadow monsters. In regards to changes, some will be made. What those changes are, you'll have to wait and see.

mastercheif1229: Thank you!

**archive4465:** Thank you, but I am confused as to what you mean by cliche fics. Mind clarifying?

**I Am The Prophet: **Trust me, I do not intend to respond to troll flames whatsoever. I want to tell everyone this, but if your 'review' is not constructive or adds anything, I won't respond. By all means, tell me if I made a mistake. I both welcome and can take constructive criticism. But flames are not constructive, and neither are outright insults. Those I will not tolerate, both towards me and to anyone else.

**Oscar873: **Yep, a new path is being forged for our heroes. Where that path will take us will be revealed as the story unfolds.

**Matador: **Thank you. One of my intentions is to seemlessly mesh the two franchises together. We already have a pretty good idea on how to do that, and we hope you guys will enjoy it.

**edboy4926: **Yep, we're starting in 2540 and all that entails. As for Halo humans getting their Aura unlocked, you'll have to wait and see. ONI will definitely be interested in that. Same with Dust. As for Magic vs Tech, you'll have to wait and see how that turns out.

That's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!


	4. Fear of the Unknown

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 3: Fear of the Unknown**

[~][~]

_Anima, Kingdom of Mistral, Shion Village_

_November 28__th__, 69 A.G.W. 11:16 Hours (Remnant Calendar)_

"Come on, Saphron! Hurry it up!" Jaune Arc impatiently begged his older sister as the two of them walked around the woods near their campsite. They had arrived just hours before and immediately began setting up camp, and by the end of it all Jaune was going stir crazy. He couldn't get out fast enough, so when the opportunity presented itself once camp was ready he took it.

"Slow down, Jaune. Geez," Saphron, Jaune's older sister, called out as she followed behind him. She wasn't upset or even irritated. If anything, she was resigned to it by this point. Her younger brother had proved to have an impulsive and foolhardy disposition, especially for a seven-year-old. If he wanted to do something, there wasn't much that was going to stop him. Right now, that path led him towards exploring the same woods he had countless times before. The way Saphron Arc saw it, if her little brother was going to run around the woods, she might as well make sure he didn't get hurt while doing it.

Not that she feared anything was going to happen. Shion Village routinely hired Huntsmen to clear the area around them, making it safe from regular Grimm activity. Still, the last thing she wanted was for Jaune to trip over a root and hurt himself. He was a clumsy yet lovable goofball.

Jaune briefly frowned, then did as his older sister told and slowed down. He wasn't that far away from her in the first place, and he always made sure to keep in sight of her at all times. Still, he couldn't help but feel excited about what new adventures he'd have on their stay. A whole week with just him and his family roughing it out in the woods, with only their wits to survive. That and the copious amount of supplies their mom made them pack for the trip. Part of Jaune felt that was cheating a bit, but he wasn't going to complain. As much as he liked camping, the idea of surviving solely off of the land sounded hard and not very fun.

Suddenly, something on the ground caught his eye, and Jaune excitingly gasped as he ran over to pick it up.

"Saph! Saph! Look what I found!" Jaune exclaimed as he held up the object over his head. Saphron took a look at it and scoffed in amusement.

"Yes, Jaune. It's a stick. Good boy," Saphron joked, and Jaune puffed up his cheeks in irritation.

"It's not just a stick! Look at it!" Jaune insisted, running his hand up the shaft. "It looks just like dad's sword! See!"

"Hmm," Saphron hummed as she looked the stick over. Sure enough, she could see where Jaune was coming from, although it was a very rough similarity. She couldn't help but laugh and cover her mouth with her hand, causing her younger brother to indignantly scoff and cross his arms, stick-sword still in his hand.

"Hey!" Jaune protested, and Saphron calmed herself down and waved her hand towards him.

"Sorry, Jaune. You're right, it does look like Crocea Mors," she finally admitted. Jaune's expression switched from irritated to happy, and in his jubilation he held it out as though it really were a sword.

"Hiya! Heeyah!" Jaune yelled out, making a few swings against imaginary foes. Saphron laughed at her brother's antics, placing her hand on her hip and shifting her weight to mostly one leg.

"Playing hero, now?" Saphron asked, and Jaune shook his head while continuing to play-fight.

"No, I'm practicing!" Jaune insisted. "If I'm going to be a hero one day like dad and grandpa, I gotta start early."

"Is that so?" Saphron asked, smiling to herself. This wasn't the first Jaune had brought up his dream. They all had grown up on tales of the Arc family's exploits, and he had been enthralled with them from the very beginning. Jaune wanted nothing more than to continue their legacy, but as her baby brother accidentally tripped over a root and fell to the forest floor with a quick yelp, Saphron was reminded of his true chances.

Jaune certainly had the heart for it, but he was clumsy. Combine that with their parents' refusal to train him, not wanting any of their children to suffer what their father had, meant his chances of achieving his dream were slim. Still, Saphron had faith that, somehow, Jaune would find a way. She just hoped he wouldn't get himself killed while doing it.

"Come on, Jaune. We should head back," she said as Jaune picked himself up. He dusted the dirt off of his jeans and looked at his sister with a soft glare, but she looked back with her ever-present smile. He opened his mouth to protest, only for a faint rumbling sound to catch their attention. Both Arc children turned their heads towards the source, where they saw a flight of Atlesian Mantas and Mistralian Airships pass overhead.

"Whoa, cool!" Jaune exclaimed, stars in his eyes, but Saphron narrowed her gaze in suspicion. That suspicion increased when she saw the Airships continue over to Shion Village in order to land, and a sinking feeling formed in her gut.

"Jaune," she tersely began, "let's get back to mom and dad. Now."

"But we just got here?" Jaune protested, but Saphron shot him a look that left no room for argument. He was taken aback for a bit, then sighed and dropped the stick to comply.

* * *

_Solitas, Kingdom of Atlas, Atlas_

_November 28__th__, 69 A.G.W. 12:30 Hours (Remnant Calendar) _

The sound of undulating piano keys filled the parlor as seven-year-old Weiss Schnee gave a concert to her family. She was giving it her all, weeks of practice on this very same song coming out and showing itself proudly for the world to see. Around her, her family sat on chairs and a large sofa. Her mother, Willow, sat next to her younger brother Whitley and her older sister Winter while her father, Jacques, sat alone on his chair. Willow, a glass of wine in her hand, smiled warmly at the sight of her daughter playing. Winter was smiling as well, but trying to keep an air of seriousness about her. From the occasional glances Weiss gave in her direction, it wasn't always working when Winter was certain the rest of her family wasn't watching. Whitley's reaction was much more mixed. At first, he was openly smiling like his mother and sister, but when he caught sight of his father's stoic and flat expression, Whitley straightened himself and stopped smiling in a bid to emulate the father he adored.

Occasionally, Winter would glance in their direction and a frown would cross her face. But as Weiss continued to play, oblivious to the fault lines that were emerging in their family, Winter forced herself to not look at her father and instead focus on her sister. Finally, Weiss' music built to its climatic end, and with a few more strokes, finished her song. She stood up and turned towards her family with a large smile on her face, and gave a dainty curtsey as her sister smiled and politely clapped, her mother a bit more enthusiastically, while Jacques and Whitley simply gave an approving nod.

"Well done, Weiss," Jacques said. "I see that the lessons and tutors have paid off."

"Thank you, father," Weiss replied with a wide smile.

"Encore! Encore!" Willow cheered out, waving around her wine glass as Weiss' smile grew ever wider. Jacques then began to hum, silencing Willow and preventing either Whitley or Winter from adding any thoughts.

"You know," Jacques began, "I believe you may have a gift, Weiss."

"Really?!" Weiss excitedly asked.

"Indeed," Jacques answered with a small grin. "In fact, I believe that our neighbors would love to see a performance."

Weiss' smile grew, her attention locked to her father while her sister and mother frowned at his back. Willow's was much more subdued, almost cowed, while Winter's was much more open. Whitley glanced upon both of them and balked, not understanding why they would be reacting in such a way. But before he could speak up, the parlor door slammed open, and the Schnee Family butler, Klein Seiben, ran inside.

"Sir, Madam!" he called out, panting heavily as though he had just run across the entire manor.

"Klein, what is the meaning of this?!" Jacques angrily demanded. Klein struggled to explain, then finally gave up and threw his arm in the direction of where he just came from.

"You all need to see this! Now!" he outright demanded. Jacques was half-willing to reprimand him for his insolence, then groaned.

"This better not be a waste of my time," he grumbled before stomping out of the room after Klein. Willow looked at her children for a moment, then stood up and beckoned them to follow. They all walked through the halls, and Weiss recognized that they were heading towards the expansive living room they entertained guests in. Why they were going there, Weiss had no idea, but she soon got her answer when she saw the large wall-mounted television already turned on. To her surprise, the room was full of human and faunus servants, all focused with wide-eyed and panicked expressions as they murmured to each other. Moving to the front of the crowd, Weiss turned her attention to the television. It was set to the Atlas Broadcasting Network, and any outbursts her father might've had died on his lips as he and the rest of the Schnee family gazed upon the object at center screen.

"_What you're seeing now is a live feed from Shade Academy in Vacuo. Our sources can confirm that it is not faked, and similar reports have been coming from all kingdoms,_" the reporter called out as a shaky video feed pointing towards Remnant's shattered moon covered the entire screen. Whereas in Atlas it was still daylight, Vacuo was fully shrouded in the darkness of night, with only the light of Remnant's moon shining overhead. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, but Weiss could see the true focus of the video.

There, shaped like one of those cigars that her father liked to use on occasion, was a large object passing across the moon.

* * *

_Island of Menagerie, Kuo Kuana_

_November 28__th__, 69 A.G.W. 14:01 Hours (Remnant Calendar)_

The meeting room inside the White Fang headquarters was packed full of people Blake Belladonna had only met a few times before. They were talking loudly and over each other, trying to get a word in edge wise, and it was hard for her father to maintain order.

"Everyone, please!" Ghira yelled out. "This isn't the time to panic."

No one seemed to listen to him. In fact, the noise only grew louder, and as Blake returned her attention to the tv embedded into the wall, she was once again reminded why. Being on Menagerie, the connection was shaky at best, and the screen was considerably smaller than some of the TVs she had seen in the kingdoms, but it was enough to show what the rest of the world was discovering. The ticker feed on the bottom easily spelled it out, and despite only being seven-years old, Blake could understand the words just as well as anyone else.

"Unidentified Object Spotted Orbiting Remnant," it read as images of the object in question were highlighted. All news networks around the world were only talking about this, and it wasn't hard to see why. After all, the possibility of it being a meteorite, some kind of space rock as her mother described it, was ruled out a while ago.

"Silence!" Sienna Khan, finally having enough, shouted while slamming her fist down onto the wooden table with enough force to rattle it. Only then did the racket cease, and Sienna glared at everyone in the room outside of Ghira and Blake.

"Thank you, Sienna," Ghira said. Sienna nodded, sitting back into her chair to allow the leader of the White Fang to speak freely. "I understand all of you are nervous. Admittedly, so am I."

"It's a damn spaceship, Ghira!" someone shouted. The racket threatened to erupt once again, but Sienna and Ghira's dual glares silenced it immediately.

"I know," Ghira calmly replied. "This is unlike anything we've ever dealt with before. Absolute proof that we are not alone in the universe has appeared practically on our doorstep, and I have no doubt in my mind that the course of history has been irrevocably altered. But that does not mean we should let fear consume us. That path ends only in the Grimm."

"But Ghira, the people are already scared, and not just in Menagerie," another pointed out.

"I'm not blind to people's concerns, which is why I called this meeting to order," Ghira stated while calmly waving his hand. "Sienna?"

"Yes, Ghira?" Sienna asked immediately, straightening her back while giving him her utmost attention.

"Increase the patrols around Kuo Kuana. I want my people to feel safe, so let them know to come outside and continue their day."

"Of course," Sienna replied, nodding her head and standing up, preparing to do as Ghira told. Before she could leave, however, Ghira raised his hand and beckoned her to stop. His eyes drifted over to his daughter, and Sienna followed his gaze and immediately understood what he was asking.

"Also," Ghira continued, "do you mind escorting my daughter home? I'm afraid the next topics of discussion will confuse her."

"Certainly," Sienna replied. If she was offended about being asked to temporarily babysit, she didn't show it. Instead, Sienna softly smiled towards Blake and beckoned her to join her. Blake looked at her father who warmly smiled towards her, and Blake nodded before hopping off her chair and walking towards Sienna. The tiger Faunus gently took Blake's hand and led her away, closing the door behind her and continuing down the open-air hall and to the village outside.

It was completely vacant, without a single soul in sight. It wasn't truly deserted, Blake knew. Just an hour before, the marketplace was packed full of Faunus buying and selling goods and services. Then the news broke about the apparent spacecraft orbiting overhead, and at first no one believed it for it was so outlandish. Then the more reputable news stories repeated it, and finally someone with a telescope looked towards the direction of the moon where they, too, saw the very same object the rest of the world was beginning to panic over. Soon, the streets were empty as people fled to their homes, locking the doors to secure some measure of safety. Blake wasn't certain it would be enough.

"Don't be scared, Blake," Sienna calmly said as they continued their walk towards her house. It was a small and humble home, not much bigger or different than the houses around them, but Blake could recognize it instantly. Still, thoughts nagged at the back of Blake's mind, and she looked up at Sienna in the hopes that the older woman would be able to provide answers.

"What's going to happen now?" Blake asked. Sienna frowned and shook her head while continuing to walk.

"I don't know," Sienna admitted, seeing no reason to lie to the girl. Blake frowned, not wanting that answer, yet at the same time expecting it. Still, for the seven-year-old girl, hearing that the adults around her were just as lost as her was doing little to alleviate her concerns. Not wanting to ruminate on them further, Blake decided to shift focus.

"I noticed you weren't arguing with my father again," Blake pointed out. Sienna looked down at Blake in slight surprise, and Blake continued looking forward as they walked. "Does this mean you two made up?"

Sienna didn't respond at first, then stopped and beckoned Blake to as well. When the young girl complied, Sienna moved herself to kneel in front of Blake, and they looked at each other at eye level.

"Blake, I know your father and I have our differences, but know this. I respect him and your mother with every fiber of my being," Sienna insisted. "We both want the same thing, equality for the Faunus. Don't you want that, too?"

"Of course," Blake insisted, and Sienna nodded back.

"Good girl." Sienna smiled, then frowned and shook her head. "But your father's methods, they're too slow for me. He'd have us work for generations when we can force equality now. All it takes is a little push in the right areas, against the right targets, but your father won't even defend himself when he's being shot at. His desire for peace is admirable, and I respect him for it, but there's a time for talking and a time for action. Do you understand what I mean?"

Blake thought it over for a minute, puffing out her cheeks as her feline ears twitched. She remembered the protests, the rallies, waving her signs and shouting herself hoarse with everyone else to make their voices heard. Just like she remembered the ugly tightening in her chest as the humans just ignored them, or worse, 'punished' them for being 'ungrateful animals.' Eventually she came to a decision and nodded.

"I think so," she admitted. Sienna nodded and patted Blake's shoulder, then stood back up and continued leading her back home.

"Come on, let's get you back to Kali."

"Then you have to get back for grown-up stuff?"

Sienna chuckled. "Grown-up stuff, yes."

* * *

_Solitas, Kingdom of Atlas, Atlas Academy_

_November 28__th__, 69 A.G.W. 15:45 Hours (Remnant Calendar)_

In all his life, Ozpin had never seen such a level of fear and anxiety gripping Remnant's people. It had been such a rapid turnaround. Just this morning, everything was carrying on as usual. People were going about their day, teachers were giving lectures to students, while he himself was overseeing Beacon's budget when he got a call from Atlas' General Ironwood. A call that sent chills down his spine. He hadn't wanted to believe it at first. After all, the claim was outlandish. But then General Ironwood sent him the relevant data. Images, telemetry, spectral analysis, everything. Ozpin could no longer deny the truth after that, and the only consolation he felt at the time was that the truth was being suppressed for the moment, at his urging. The last thing Remnant needed was a full-blown panic about an alien spacecraft orbiting overhead.

Of course, the truth got out in a matter of hours, but in that time the kingdoms were able to organize their defenses to the best of their ability. A decision that proved wise, as already reports of heightened Grimm activity were coming in from all over the world. People were on edge, with their attentions glued to the sky as they tried to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic vessel orbiting above. A few times Ozpin did the same, but as the Bullhead carrying him and his two most trusted colleagues flew towards Atlas he forced himself to keep his attention on the ground.

"You know," Qrow's raspy voice echoed in the bullhead. Ozpin didn't even need to turn his head to see the sharp glare Glynda shot the veteran Huntsman.

"Don't you start," Glynda demanded.

"I wasn't going to say how you jinxed us," Qrow replied cheekily. Glynda growled, but didn't respond further as she turned her attention to the water shooting past. Qrow looked at her for a moment, then he walked over to Ozpin and leaned against the cabin window.

"Oz, what do you make of this?" Qrow asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. Ozpin hated to disappoint him, but he could only sigh and shake his head.

"I honestly don't know," Ozpin admitted. "I have lived for countless lifetimes, and I thought I had seen everything Remnant had to offer. It appears, once again, I was wrong."

Qrow looked at his mentor for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean. Except technically this isn't something _Remnant's _throwing at us this time. Actual goddamn aliens. Who could've seen that coming?"

"Indeed." Ozpin looked out across the water one last time, then turned his head towards Qrow. "Did your family make it to Vale?"

"Yeah, they did. Tai didn't believe me at first, but when I showed him what you showed me, he pulled both Ruby and Yang out of school early to get them to safety."

"How did the girls take it?"

"Yang's scared out of her mind, but is trying to make herself seem brave to everyone else. Ruby's completely excited and wants to meet them so that they can 'become friends.'"

"I sincerely hope young Ruby is right."

"So do I, Oz. So do I."

The rest of the flight was in silence, and soon they came into sight of their destination. The floating city of Atlas, tethered to the old city of Mantle on the ground below. Surrounding the cities was the entirety of the Atlesian fleet. Mantas and Bullheads flew around large Atlesian airships, their weapons primed and ready to fire on anything that approached with hostile intent. Occasionally, a few shots would go out, striking a Grimm too small for Ozpin to see with the naked eye, but their aircraft was unaffected.

"Bullhead C247 on approach to Atlas Academy. Transferring clearance now and requesting permission to land," their pilot spoke as the copilot pressed a few keys on their control panel. A few seconds passed, then the intercom buzzed to life.

"_Clearance acknowledged, C247. Proceed to docking station 5B,_" the controller directed.

"Wilco," the pilot replied, veering the aircraft towards their approved destination. As they passed over Mantle, Ozpin couldn't help but notice how dirty and almost rundown the city was in comparison to Atlas, and he frowned. Decades after the land surrounding Alsius Academy was raised into the sky, becoming Atlas Academy and soon the city of Atlas, the gap between the old capital of Mantle and Atlas itself grew wider and wider with no signs of reversing anytime soon. He half-wondered if that decision, originally meant to inspire the people of Mantle to look towards a brighter future after the Great War, wound end up as another of his many mistakes, but he had to hold out hope that it wouldn't.

The sight of the landing pad pushed those thoughts to the side, and Ozpin waited as the Bullhead landed with a soft thud. The doors swung open, allowing him and his compatriots to disembark and head towards the academy. Multiple guards were on station, looking out nervously just in case they were needed. Ozpin gave them an appreciative nod as he, Qrow, and Glynda walked past, and soon they were heading inside the grand building. Blue lights cast a light glow around them as they moved through the school, electronic bulletin boards giving constant status updates to anyone able to see them. Rather than giving class schedules or information regarding office hours, the boards were entirely focused on the aliens and how Atlas was dealing with them.

Soon, the trio exited the school section of the building and entered the military headquarters. The difference was striking. Whereas the school fostered an atmosphere of learning and comfort, the military was pure function. Nothing was wasted, and already he could see dozens of technicians, operators, and various military personnel manning stations and barking updates towards their superiors. The glass separating them muffled their words beyond recognition, but he could understand what they were saying based off the readouts on the screens. The alien vessel was holding its orbit between Remnant and its moon, and thus far had made no movements untoward them. Nor had the vessel sent anything their way, despite all the signals it was undoubtably picking up. All of Remnant was staring at this behemoth, and it would have to be blind not to notice.

"Never seen Atlas so spooked before," Qrow muttered under his breath.

"I hope Ironwood doesn't do anything foolish," Glynda added. Ozpin didn't know the man all that well thus far, only meeting him a few times ever since he became General, but even then he could understand Glynda's fears. The General had displayed an alarming tendency to try and control everything he could in an effort to protect the people, and while that mindset could be a great force for good, it could also lead to outright tyranny. As someone who had 'lived' through the Great War, Ozpin hoped to curb such tendencies lest history repeat itself.

Finally, they arrived at the General's office, and Ozpin paused for a moment before politely knocking on its metal door.

"Enter," a voice boomed from the other side. The door automatically opened, revealing General Ironwood as he hung over a holographic table that displayed any and all information about the spacecraft. Next to him was the headmaster of Haven Academy, an elderly lion Faunus named Leo Lionheart. At the back, holding onto a scroll, was a man Ozpin assumed to be Doctor Pietro Polendina. Ozpin's fellow headmaster was clearly nervous, but he was bravely pushing those fears aside and focusing on the task at hand. Leo locked eyes with Ozpin and smiled softly while nodding in greeting, while Ironwood remained focused on the table. Pietro was moving his head between Ozpin and Ironwood, giving Ozpin a warm smile in greeting while also waiting for his friend to notice. Only when Leo coughed to catch the General's attention did he look up. With the automatic door closing behind them, he saw Ozpin, Qrow, and Glynda, and he nodded.

"Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, Branwen," Ironwood greeted them as he momentarily removed himself from the holo-table and straightened his back. "I've been expecting you."

"Vale's council sent us here, General," Ozpin detailed, and Ironwood nodded in understanding.

"I know, and I'm grateful to have you here," Ironwood admitted. He personally would've preferred a more military-minded individual, but the headmaster of the most prestigious Huntsmen Academy in the world was a good substitute. Ozpin had been in that position for years, longer than he himself had been a member of Atlas' military, so he could appreciate his advice in this situation.

"It's good to see you as well, Ozpin," Leo admitted, waving his hand towards the table. "I arrived just before you, and we've been discussing the situation thus far."

"Let me guess: a whole lot of 'we don't know' and 'terrible all around?'" Qrow guessed. Ironwood shot the impudent Huntsman a glare, as did Glynda from the corner of her eye, but Ironwood then closed his eyes and sighed while shaking his head.

"While I would've worded it differently," Ironwood said, walking towards the glass window of his office, "you are correct. That ship has been orbiting Remnant since early this morning, and it's done absolutely nothing."

"That's good, isn't it?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes, and no," Ironwood replied, crossing his arms behind his back as he stared out over his city. Ozpin frowned, placing the tip of his cane on the ground as he walked towards the table. There he saw a clear and faint blue holographic image of the vessel, giving him a three-dimensional look at its structure. It was large, nearly five-thousand feet long from bow to stern and twelve-hundred feet wide. What appeared to be holes dotted the outer hull, but he couldn't make out why they had appeared. Still, it troubled him, and he turned his attention back towards General Ironwood.

"How's the situation across Remnant?" Ozpin asked, knowing that since his flight from Vale to Atlas, the already tense situation had undoubtedly developed further.

"Near a tipping point," Ironwood growled out. "Atlas has been under near constant Grimm incursion since the news broke. The other cities and villages across Solitas' coastline are reporting the same thing, and my contacts in Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo are all telling me about the increase in Grimm activity across the planet."

"People are afraid," Ozpin replied, placing himself next to Ironwood as the General looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"Indeed," Ironwood said, then he turned around and walked back to the holo-table. "Unfortunately, the outbreaks are too outstretched for my forces to cover everything, and that's just in Solitas. The situation in the other kingdoms are even worse. Already a few villages have been attacked, some even overrun completely."

Qrow clenched his fists and teeth tightly. He silently bit back a curse and shut his eyes, while Ironwood picked up on the Huntsman's distress and frowned sympathetically. Ironwood could understand where Qrow's feelings were coming from, but he forced himself to push them aside and focus on the bigger picture.

"Have we tried reaching out to the vessel?" Glynda asked, and Ironwood regarded her for a moment before nodding.

"Doctor Pietro Polendina sent a transmission an hour ago, a first contact package containing basic information about our people that was put together by the councils," Ironwood revealed. "The aliens haven't responded."

"Perhaps they can't understand it?" Ozpin offered. "It's highly unlikely they could understand our language."

"Assuming they even got it," Leo added. Ozpin nodded, feeling that it was a fair argument. The possibility of the computer systems being incompatible with each other was more likely than not.

"That's what I said, but I wasn't allowed to send another," Pietro added, giving his friend a light glare. "I just want to add that this entire situation, although absolutely terrifying, is exhilarating. Actual alien life from outside our solar system. If we can communicate, who knows what we can learn from each other!"

"Perhaps," Ironwood replied, "or perhaps not."

The atmosphere in the room grew tenser, and the others regarded Ironwood warily. Ironwood seemed to pick up on it, and rather than look offended, he calmly regarded their silent concerns and nodded.

"The fact of the matter is," Ironwood started, "there are far too many unknowns about this entire situation. The panic and level of Grimm activity is increasing every minute, and soon Atlas' military and the kingdoms' Huntsmen won't be able to contain it. Which means that, for the safety of the kingdoms, we are approaching one option."

Ozpin regarded Ironwood for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization. He then quietly asked, "You want to attack?"

"Not just yet," Ironwood clarified, "but as Atlas has been spearheading everything regarding the aliens, I've received assurances from the councils that they will follow my lead." Ozpin's thoughts raced as the others opened their mouths to speak.

"General, while I understand your concerns, I do not believe we've reached that point just yet," Leo insisted in a calming, gentle manner.

"Attacking unprovoked would be a gross overreaction," Glynda more harshly insisted.

"If you think things are bad now, what you're suggesting is only going to make things worse!" Qrow angrily declared. Ironwood regarded them for a moment, then nodded.

"All valid concerns," he replied, "but we need to think of the greater picture. If the situation deteriorates further, I may have no other choice in order to keep Remnant safe."

Ozpin remained silent as the others continued to argue with him, until he finally raised his hand and silenced them. A picture of calm, Ozpin looked Ironwood in the eyes and began to speak.

"Why do you think attacking the aliens may be necessary?" Ozpin asked. "For all we know, they could be explorers, maybe even refugees or colonists."

Ironwood regarded the headmaster for a moment, then beckoned with his arm to the holo-table.

"Besides the fact that the vessel hasn't done anything nor respond to our attempts at communication," he began, "the structure of the ship has me concerned."

The hull structure of the vessel was highlighted and enlarged, allowing Ironwood to show everyone where he was coming from.

"Our scientists and engineers have been poring over this vessel ever since it arrived, and if our assessment is accurate, this is not an exploratory vessel nor a colony ship. This is a warship." Several protrusions were highlighted in red. "The entire vessel is made out of titanium alloy, and we've found evidence of spent missile pods and point-defense guns all around its hull. What's more, the structure itself appears to be built entirely around a central cannon placed at the bow."

"That doesn't necessarily mean their intentions are hostile," Ozpin pointed out. "As you said, they haven't done anything. That includes showing hostile intent."

"While that may be the case now," Ironwood tersely replied, rotating the image to show the various holes in the ship's hull, "clearly this vessel was damaged recently. Something that was hot enough to melt through its armor. Titanium has an extremely high melting point, so whatever did this had to be over three-thousand degrees Fahrenheit."

"Again, this does not necessarily mean they will have hostile intentions to us," Ozpin calmly insisted. Internally, he admitted that the evidence of damage was concerning, but he forced himself to remain calm and think the situation through. He was being dealt a bad hand, but if he didn't play his cards right, everything could unravel very quickly. Ironwood looked to counter, but Ozpin politely raised his hand and requested to speak further. After a moment, Ironwood nodded and stepped back to allow Ozpin space to continue.

"General, I understand your concerns," Ozpin admitted. "I'm scared, too."

"I'm not scared," Ironwood insisted, but Ozpin shook his head.

"You don't have to lie to me, General. I'm not judging. After all, this is a frightening situation, one that we should be nervous about. It's true, we don't know what's going to happen. These aliens could have hostile intentions towards us, which is just as likely as peace."

"But the fact that it's a warship—"

"Which brings me to my next point," Ozpin interrupted. "You are trying to force a human-centric viewpoint on an alien species. To us, that would be a warship. But to them? It might be something completely different. They're aliens, and with that comes an entirely different biology, culture, and points of view. Ones we can't even begin to comprehend as we've never interacted before."

"And the damage?" Ironwood called back.

"I admit, I don't know what could've caused it," Ozpin stated. "It could've been from a variety of sources. A malfunction from inside the ship, a glancing blow from a meteor. Maybe they flew too close to a star. Or perhaps they truly were attacked by something. We don't know, but that doesn't mean we should automatically assume the worst. Besides, let's consider your plan more thoroughly. You want to attack them first before they have a chance to attack us. Fine. How do you suppose we do that? Last I'd heard, we don't have space capabilities just yet."

"And none of our ground-based defenses can reach orbit, especially where the spaceship currently is," Pietro pointed out. The tone of his voice told Ozpin that this discussion had already occurred, and it was one which Doctor Polendina was not pleased with.

"True, but we can shoot down anything they send down," Ironwood countered. "And I've already had my scientists devise ways to hit them. There are some promising developments in the pipeline already."

"Alright," Ozpin continued. "Let's say that we do attack them or shoot down anything they send our way. If we're going to put a human-centric viewpoint on them, let's say they react to a preemptive strike like any other human would. They retaliate. You say that the ship is most likely structured around a central cannon. Doctor Polendina, any estimates on its strength?"

"At the moment, no," Pietro admitted. "We're not entirely certain it is a cannon, and if it is we don't know what it fires or how."

"I believe the damage it sustained might have rendered it inoperable," Ironwood added, and Ozpin nodded. He then looked at the holographic image and noted its position near the moon, and looked towards the General once again.

"Even if the cannon is truly inoperable, I'm not sure it matters," Ozpin said, moving his hand across the holotable to zoom out. Remnant's shattered moon became visible, and Ozpin gestured towards the chunks. "Look at their position. Whether their cannon is operable or not, whether they have any missiles in those pods left, the fact of the matter is they have all the ammunition they need. All you need to do is give them a reason to use it."

The room went silent as the occupants comprehended Ozpin's words. Pietro's eyes widened, then he hastily opened his scroll and began calculating some numbers. The tapping of his fingers against the glass screen drew everyone's attention, and finally Pietro looked up as a trickle of sweat went down his brow.

"These are…rough numbers," he began, "but if they're right, it wouldn't be that difficult to grab a piece of the moon, aim it, and send it down. The amount of force would be enough to wipe out an entire city. Some of them…" Pietro gulped. "Some of them could cause a mass extinction event. Anything larger than a rodent would die all over the planet."

Once again, silence fell over the room. Everyone turned to look at Ironwood, silently urging him to reconsider his brash plan. Looking down, Ironwood's jaw clenched as his mind raced, then he looked at Ozpin for a moment. The air between them grew tense. The General's hand clenched and unclenched a few times before he finally sighed and shook his head.

"I suppose you're right," Ironwood finally said, then pointed a finger at Ozpin. "But if they do anything that _hints_ of hostility, I will attack first. The safety of Remnant's people is my highest concern."

"I agree completely," Ozpin responded, "but I don't believe we will need to go that far."

* * *

_UNSC Everest, Valiant-class Super-Heavy Cruiser_

_Lunar Orbit, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 19:00 hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

"So," SPARTAN Fred-104 said over TEAMCOM as he and fellow SPARTANs John-117, Linda-058, and Kelly-087 walked down the corridors of the _Everest_, "what do you guys think of this?"

"Hard to say," Kelly replied. "There's a lot of unknowns right now."

"Yeah," Fred murmured. "Can't say I like it."

"Wouldn't be a SPARTAN mission if it was comfortable," Linda dryly pointed out.

"True. Besides, a little bit of mystery always spices things up," Fred joked, causing Kelly to slightly smile in amusement.

"Focus, Blue Team," John cut in as they neared the bridge. Immediately, the SPARTAN-IIs silenced themselves just as they approached the still functional automatic doors. They opened with a mechanical hiss, where the SPARTANs were greeted by the sight of a fully staffed bridge filled with technicians and helmsmen frantically working on stations and conducting various repairs. Standing at the front near the window was Vice Admiral Preston J. Cole himself, with eight fully armored ODSTs, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, standing in front of him with their helmets held in their hands. They gave the SPARTAN-IIs a momentary glance, some impassively while others with barely disguised disdain, as Blue Team joined them.

"Sir," Chief announced as he and Blue Team flashed a salute.

"At ease, SPARTANs," Admiral Cole ordered. Blue Team complied at once, standing at parade rest as they waited for Cole to give them their instructions. With a vibrant planet easily seen through the window, it wasn't hard to determine what the subject would likely be. A silence filled the air, broken only by faint beeping of electronics, before Cole finally began to speak.

"At 0500 hours UNSC Standard Time, the _Everest _arrived in-system after performing a blind jump," Cole reported. "In accordance to military protocol, a preliminary scan of the system was launched, where it was discovered that one of the planets, the very one we are orbiting now, was not only habitable for human life but also exhibited evidence of intelligent life currently inhabiting it. Given its close proximity to human space, I chose to investigate the planet out of concern it was either a lost colony or an Insurrectionist outpost. We now believe it is neither."

"You mean this is a first contact, sir?" one of the ODSTs asked. John's MJOLNIR immediately named the individual as Gunnery Sergeant Ethan Graves, and Cole nodded towards him.

"The first one since the Covenant, yes," Cole confirmed. A slight murmur echoed through the ranks, but John and the rest of Blue Team remained stoically silent.

"Have they detected us?" Linda finally asked, and Cole turned his attention towards her and nodded.

"Yes. Their sensors are centuries behind ours, but we've been able to intercept."

"Any attempts at communication?" John followed up. Cole nodded, but the way he did told John that wasn't the full story.

"There have been a few from their end, however we've been unable to translate," Cole revealed. As though on cue, the holo-tank located next to the Admiral lit up, revealed Hannibal's avatar for all to see.

"Unfortunately, humanity's ability to translate alien languages is far behind the capabilities of the Covenant," Hannibal pointed out. "We don't even have a place to start, and as such my options are quite limited and progress has been slow. At the current rate, I estimate at least a week before communications can truly begin in earnest, and even then it'll be rough."

John definitely didn't like the sound of that, and he could tell none of the others did either. Spending a week in orbit over an alien-planet was a recipe for disaster, and not just for them. Undoubtedly the native inhabitants would be panicking at the sight of an alien warship orbiting overhead and doing absolutely nothing. It was another unknown to add to the ever-growing list, and unknowns tended to get people killed.

"That being said," Hannibal continued, "we have been able to obtain rough information about the planet."

"Rough?" another ODST, a Lieutenant Aliya Kalib, asked with a raised eyebrow, and Hannibal nodded while frowning slightly.

"Indeed. The _Everest_ sustained considerable damage during our previous engagement with the Covenant, and as such our sensors and imaging equipment are not at full capacity. From what we've been able to acquire, the planet shares many similarities to Earth."

"Such as?" Sergeant Graves asked.

"The planet's rotation indicates a twenty-four-hour day-night cycle with a three-hundred-and-sixty-five-day orbiting period around its star. Its atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen, and most of the surface is covered in saltwater. Most of the landmass is comprised of five large continents and far too many islands for us to accurately map out at the moment."

"What about population? Do we have anything on that?" Fred asked. Hannibal brought up an image the _Everest_ had taken a few hours before, showing a large city located on the largest continent that was currently labeled as Alpha. The other continents were similarly labeled, with the continent laying north of Alpha labeled Beta, to the east was Charlie, the northwest Delta, and the southwest was Epsilon. Obviously the native inhabitants already had names for them, but for the moment these would have to do.

"Most of the population, from what we can see, is housed in four supermassive cities, which we believe to be the capitals of four accompanying nation states," Hannibal continued. "We've seen a few scattered cities and villages outside of the apparent capitals, but they are much smaller in size and scale. Their territorial claims are, as of this moment, not understood, nor their demographics or government structure. However, the level of cross-nation communications has exponentially increased ever since our arrival, which when coupled with the lack of evidence regarding open conflict, leads me to believe that these countries are not only currently at peace, they have been for some time."

John raised his eyebrow at that bit of information, as did the rest of the soldiers around him. Ever since the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, back when humans were still confined solely to Earth, having the majority of the population living in urban areas wasn't unusual. When humanity expanded into space, they took their urban environments and lifestyles with them. But from what Hannibal was saying, it sounded like the level of urbanization of these people was on an unprecedented scale. What's more, an entire planet only had four nations? Even now, Earth still had hundreds of nation-states that administered their territories, all under the jurisdiction of the United Earth Government and, by default as of late, the United Nations Space Command. The question 'why' roared through John's mind. Were the four nations on this planet the remnants of a failed attempt at globalization? Were they simply in the process of forming a singular government like Earth did centuries before?

Or, more worrisome, perhaps the seemingly peaceful planet was more dangerous than it seemed? John focused on the images they had taken of the large cities most of the population supposedly lived in. They were absolutely massive, far larger than anything on Earth or its many colonies. Their architectures and layouts were all different, some blending into the environment while others actively sought to stand against it. If he didn't know any better, he'd say one was literally flying. All of them, however, shared one key characteristic beyond being placed in what he would consider to be highly defensible positions. Massive walls lined the exteriors, outfitted with heavy defenses pointed outward. Aiming at what, he couldn't tell, but the more he thought about it, the more John didn't like it. There were far too many unknowns for his liking, and he could tell the others felt the same.

Finally, John straightened himself and looked straight at Vice Admiral Cole.

"Sir, what's our next move?" he asked. The Admiral slowly turned his attention to John and the rest of the assembled soldiers, then nodded.

"As of right now, Hannibal is currently working on finishing the translation while I develop a First Contact package to share with the natives," Admiral Cole revealed. John understood immediately where Cole was coming from. Prior to the Covenant's onslaught against humanity, the UEG had developed what could only be described as a First Contact package meant to be shared with any intelligent life humanity would ever find. It had preached friendship, understanding, and a desire to work together to form a bright future. In hindsight, it was hopelessly optimistic, if not outright naïve, and since 2525 the package had been all but forgotten. He doubted many ship-board AI even had it in on-hand anymore. Which left Admiral Cole to devise a brand new one on the spot, the details of which John couldn't even begin to imagine. Obviously, it would have to be peaceful overall. The last thing the UNSC needed was another war, but at the same time their prior experience with aliens would influence what they told them and how much.

One thing was certain to the SPARTAN leader, however. If these aliens were peaceful, they couldn't be allowed to fall to the Covenant. The _Everest_ had found them entirely by accident, and they were only just outside the range of colonized human space. Were the Covenant to find them, it would be an absolute tragedy, not to mention potentially form another cog in the seemingly endless Covenant war machine.

"In the meantime," Cole continued, "the _Everest _remains on standby. With our systems damaged and only a few satellites on hand to monitor the planet, we are forced to take a more direct approach if we are to understand what, exactly, we are dealing with."

"We're dropping planet side, sir?" Sergeant Graves asked, and Cole nodded.

"Indeed you are, trooper." Cole pressed a button on the side of the holo-table, showing a topographic map marked with ten red dots, two per continent. Landing zones, John realized, but he patiently waited for Admiral Cole to continue.

"Ten teams of six each are to insert via Pelican dropships to conduct recon. Any and all data you can provide is to be sent back to the _Everest_ for it to be analyzed. Atmospheric content, geological samples, wildlife survey, everything is on the table, but above all else, you cannot be seen by the natives."

"Wouldn't our HEV pods be stealthier, sir?" Lieutenant Kalib asked.

"We considered them," Admiral Cole admitted, "but given the mission's objectives and the potential for rapid disengagement from the planet if necessary, we decided on using dropships. We're certain that our onboard systems will mask your approach, but if the mission goes south, I want you back on the _Everest_ as soon as possible. An orbital drop wouldn't allow that."

John nodded at the sound logic, as did the other ODSTs. Still, John had other concerns that he knew the rest of his team shared. As such, it wasn't a surprise when Kelly began to speak up.

"I'm certain they'll notice our insertion," Kelly pointed out. "All of their sensors are focused right on us, and there isn't a meteor shower to mask our approach."

"Which is why we're inserting far away from any major settlements and cities," Cole clarified. "Your landing zones are, from what we can tell, embedded deep in the wilderness with only scattered and minor villages located nearby."

John nodded, not entirely satisfied with that answer, but it was one he could work with. "Do you want us to observe the natives directly, sir?"

"If you are able to, yes, but only if it does not compromise the mission. Stealth is the utmost priority. This is an already tense situation, and the last thing I want is to make it untenable."

It wasn't hard to understand why. The natives were likely terrified, and while inserting themselves could very well make them even more fearful, it was a risk the crew of the _Everest_ had to take. Had they been at full operational status, there would be no need to go planetside. They could just gather all the information they needed from orbit. But the _Everest_ took a lot of damage during the Battle of Beijing III. Not enough to compromise the entire ship, but enough to make it considerably more difficult to ascertain conditions below. Going down there was a risk, but a calculated one. If it paid off, the _Everest _would know that much more, information they could use to their advantage.

Around him, John could see the other seasoned soldiers come to the same line of thought. Some liked it more than others, but they were coming onboard more and more with each passing second. As the ODSTs slowly nodded, John felt a thought cross his mind, and he diverted his attention subtly to the holo-table. Thanks to his years of experience, Cole picked up on it immediately.

"Master Chief, anything you'd like to add?" Cole asked. John felt everyone's attention fall on him, and he straightened his back in response.

"Yes, sir," John said. He glanced at Blue Team, who immediately understood where he was about to go. They clearly didn't like it, and to be honest neither did he, but the needs of the mission outweighed personal opinions. John then turned his attention back to Admiral Cole, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Admiral, I believe it would be best for Blue Team to be divided among different teams. There's no need to concentrate all four SPARTAN operators in one location," John advised. Admiral Cole looked at him for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"My thoughts exactly. Which is why two of the teams will be led by Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-117 and Petty Officer First Class SPARTAN-104. Petty Officers Second Class SPARTAN-058 and SPARTAN-087 will be accompanying separate teams led by an ODST commander."

Fred was momentarily taken aback, not used to nor particularly liking having the spotlight or responsibilities of leadership thrust upon him, but he was able to quickly recompose himself. The ODSTs, however, were a different story altogether. Some, like Gunnery Sergeant Graves, were able to easily come to terms and accept the possibility of being led by a SPARTAN-II. Others, like Lieutenant Kalib, were not. The Arabic woman and her likeminded ODSTs were furious, angrily glaring at the SPARTANs like they were thieves. The SPARTANs didn't care. The ODSTs, ever since the SPARTANs came onto the scene, had quickly developed a 'rivalry' with the super-soldiers over the position of 'most elite soldier in the UNSC.' It was completely one-sided, as the SPARTANs didn't particularly care if the ODSTs kept trying to one-up them or continued to hate their guts over such petty insecurities. Unless it affected the mission, then it became their concern. Otherwise, they'd let the ODSTs think what they think and feel what they feel. At the very least, after Admiral Cole glared at the petulant ODSTs for a single second, they fell back in line with begrudging acceptance. Cole, after a moment, was satisfied with this, and straightened his back and nodded.

"Assemble your teams and gear. You drop in one hour," Cole announced, crossing his arms behind his lower back. "Good luck, and may God watch over us."

[~][~]

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes! Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for all their help in bringing this story to life.

The UNSC and Remnant are about to collide, and as anyone would expect, Remnant is freaking out and the UNSC has no idea what's going on thanks to damaged equipment and forcing their hand to speed things up. What awaits them on the planet below will be revealed in due time.

Please let us know what you guys think, and from me to all of you, please stay safe and healthy. Now, onto the Q&A:

**Fanfic maker:** Thank you, I'm glad you liked the story! Don't worry, we're working very hard to avoid anything along the lines of shitty OCs or OOC characterizations for anyone. Everything you saw in the prologue will be built up to and expanded upon as the story develops and gets to it. We have planed out our story tremendously before we even started writing this, and I hope that the fruits of that planning will be something you all can enjoy.

**scottusa1:** Thank you, I hope to see you around.

**Knighthunter911700:** That topic of Huntsmen vs SPARTAN is actually something that got directly brought up in the main Spacebattles thread. I won't dive all that much into it here, but to sum it up, trying to compare Huntsmen to a SPARTAN is actually fairly difficult as they are two different things. yes, both are badasses and superhuman, but Huntsmen are primarily lone operators meant to take down mindless monsters that can be redirected to fighting people if need be. It's not their main purpose, but they can do it. SPARTANS, on the other hand, are meant to fight wars and outside of the main Halo trilogy due to recent events, fight in teams or alongside their fellow soldiers. The enemies they fight may be squishier than the Grimm at times, but fighting a war is a different beast than fighting monsters, something that both sides will have to deal with. Besides, this story is ultimately which is better, SPARTAN or Huntsmen. It's about how can both sides build the other up to become something better.

**BanzEye:** Blue Team, as you can see. So, John, Fred, Linda, and Kelly. As for the _Everest_, they aren't stranded. Rather, they're damaged but functional, they're just checking out the planet because they thought this might've been a lost human colony or Insurrectionist outpost. They can leave the system if they need to.

**Steelrain66:** Yep, political shenanigans are afoot. Trust me, if I didn't incorporate that into this story I'd feel like I would be waiting massive potential for world building and conflict. As for what happens on that front, both on the Remnant side and the UNSC, you'll have to wait and see.

**Vein Bloodborne:** I'm glad you enjoyed it!

**archive4465: **Don't worry, we don't plan on this story being cliche. As you can tell both from the character tags and the first scene of this chapter, Jaune is a main character, but he won't be some uber-badass that everyone swoons over. In fact, we feel that doing that to Jaune is a disservice not only to everyone else, but also his own character. He's not meant to be the Goku or the Aang. He's meant to be the Krillin or the Sokka. As for OCs x Harems, I hate those with an undying passion. So don't expect to see that. In fact, don't expect to see much romance, if any, at all. They have bigger things to worry about than who's dating who.

**negronomicon: **Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, and yes I am thoroughly enjoying this writing this story for you all.

**Guest: **I cannot comment on the Flood at this time due to spoilers.

**Guest Isa: **No, there will not be any Oz-bashing. Nor will there be any bashing of any kind. Ironwood-bashing, RWBY-bashing, Jaune-bashing, UNSC-bashing, Insurrectionist-bashing, or even Covenant-bashing. Doing that, to me, is lazy and poor writing. To your point about RWBY and JNPR not being superheroes, I have to question what you're seeing. The entire point of Volume 6 was RWBY and JNPR deciding that, even if the fight is 'pointless,' they should keep it up because it's a worthy cause. Much as Vol 7 was them kind of understanding a bit more of what Ozpin was doing previously, despite not fully agreeing with him or his methods even at the end. As for treating Oscar badly, that was only a few moments that they all came to deeply regret. Jaune tried to throttle him, and by the time of Vol 7, he's going to the movies with Jaune and are really good friends.

Point is, don't expect any bashing towards any characters or group. Does that mean I'm going to portray anyone as a saint who can do no wrong? Of course not, nor am I going to portray someone as the literal devil. This applies to Ozpin and to RWBY and JNPR. And no, I do not want to see a canon discussion derailment for my story in its reviews. I will obviously be taking it into account. See the scene involving Ironwood and Ozpin, that was directly inspired by the events of Volume 7, but the story I am telling is one that is my own.

**Jebest4781: **You'll have to wait and see on that account. I think you'll enjoy what we have coming.

**Dragon lord Syed 101: **Happy that you're enjoying the story so much!

**edboy4926: **Yep, this happens before Watts' defection to Salem's side. As for what happens with him next, you'll have to wait and see.

That's it for today. Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and I hope you all enjoy! Let us know what you think.


	5. A Walk in the Woods

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 4: A Walk in the Woods**

[~][~]

_UNSC Everest, Valiant-class Super-Heavy Cruiser_

_Lunar Orbit, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 20:15 hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

As soon as Admiral Cole gave the order, John and the rest of the SPARTAN-IIs joined the ODSTs in making their way towards the _Everest's_ nearest armory. They walked in relative silence, the ODSTs and SPARTANs not speaking directly to one another. In fact, many of the ODSTs made a noticeable attempt to keep in front of the super soldiers, even maneuvering themselves to block the SPARTANs' path.

"Pushy, aren't they?" Kelly joked over TEAMCOM.

"If they're going to act like this planetside, we're going to have issues," Linda pointed out. John couldn't help but agree, and internally he sighed. He trusted Kelly and Linda to do what needed to be done to accomplish the mission, but Fred and himself had to lead squads of ODSTs. John had done so numerous times over the course of the war, since Operation: SILENT STORM with the Black Daggers up until now. During that time, he had been able to gauge the admittedly considerable skill gap between one of his SPARTANs and an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. They were skilled, and John trusted them to hold their own and accomplish the mission, but they weren't SPARTANs.

Which is why John was most worried about the fact he was splitting his SPARTANS into separate groups. Normally, he wouldn't have advised such a tactic, but try as he might he couldn't warrant such a concentration of military assets in one place. This was a recon mission on a relatively primitive planet, and while that indeed posed considerable risks, John felt it would've been a waste to concentrate all the SPARTANs in one place. Something told John, though, that the ODSTs felt his logical reasoning was him thinking they couldn't keep up or hold their own, and that nicked their pride more than anything else.

Another, more pressing concern he had raised its specter as he and the other soldiers continued to walk down the metal hallways, passing by engineers and technicians conducting repairs. ODSTs, much like any group of soldiers, didn't always appreciate having their commands superseded by another. Much as John wouldn't be leading Blue Team, the ODST squads wouldn't be following their commander to instead follow him. Chafing was undoubtably going to occur, and if he wanted to maintain maximum group cohesion, he had to play his cards carefully. Undoubtedly, Fred was considering the same thing, so John felt no need to raise his concerns with his fellow SPARTAN.

Eventually, the group found themselves in front of the armory. The large metal bulkhead doors automatically split open vertically, allowing them to enter in relative single file. The much taller SPARTAN-IIs had to slightly duck in order to prevent their heads from hitting the top of the doorframe, which caused a slight mirth to pass through the assembled ODSTs. There, John saw that the rest of the _Everest's_ ODST detachment, those still combat capable that is, were already there, chatting among themselves about a variety of banal subjects while wearing their armor.

"Troopers, form up!" Lieutenant Kalib shouted. At once, the myriad array of conversations ceased, and the ODSTs stood ramrod straight with their backs facing their lockers. Their attention was focused purely on the lieutenant and the other squad leaders, with a few glances aimed towards the SPARTANs. Much like before, the glances were a mixture of resentment and acceptance.

"That's more like it," Kalib said after giving the men a look over. Once they passed her internal standards, she nodded and folded her arms behind her back. "As I'm sure you're aware, we will be moving planetside to conduct a recon mission. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the mission, we will not be dropping in from orbit. Instead, we'll be hitching rides with the Navy's flyboys in Pelican dropships both to and from the planet's surface."

A chorus of disappointed groans followed Kalib's statement, but a harsh glare from the Arabic woman silenced them almost immediately.

"Why are you groaning now? I haven't even gotten to the bad stuff yet," Kalib joked, then glanced at the SPARTANs before turning her head back to the other ODSTs. "Per Admiral Cole's express orders, we will be going down in ten groups of six across the entire planet, two per continent. Eight of the teams will be led by your fellow ODSTs, while the last two have been commandeered by SPARTANs 117 and 104."

That got an immediate reaction, which John had already anticipated. Most of the soldiers were not at all pleased with this development, some more visibly than others, while some didn't seem to care.

"May I ask why?" one of the ODSTs asked, which John's helmet identified as Lance Corporal Abioye. The other squad leaders subtly turned their heads towards both Kalib and John, and immediately John knew that the lieutenant was liable to say something that would rile the ODSTs up. Her displeasure was adamant, and so John stepped forward before she had a chance to answer.

"Admiral Cole and I both concluded that concentrating all four SPARTAN operatives in one singular location for a recon mission was a gross misappropriation of military assets, much as would assigning all ODSTs to one drop point for the same task. Doing so allows us to diminish the chance of mission failure as well as maximize our ability to complete our objective."

John didn't say anything else. Doing so would've run the risk of offending the ODSTs, and judging by the looks they were giving, his comments had the intended effect. Rather than feeling like they were being babysat, instead they were mostly seeing it as a rational military order that they could accept. Kalib and a few of the other ODSTs, however, were not as easily swayed, but John ignored them for now. Instead, he looked over the assembled ODSTs who were watching him intently, and he folded his arms behind his lower back.

"We'll be departing the _Everest_ in fifteen minutes. This is a stealth mission, so arm yourselves accordingly."

The soldiers nodded at his order, and at once they broke formation to grab weapons off of racks located along the walls. John himself moved to the closest rack to him, where he grabbed four M9 Fragmentation Grenades. At the same time, he eyed a selection of rifles before disregarding them and instead grabbing an M7-S Submachine Gun along with six sixty-round magazines. He also grabbed an M6S/SOCOM Magnum with six twelve-round magazines to accompany it. Finally, just in case it was needed, John grabbed a M41 SPNKR. He didn't bother to grab a spare tube, not that he had the space to carry it anyway. Besides, this was a stealth mission. If he had to bring that weapon out, the mission was officially FUBAR, and it was time to bug out.

With his selection finalized, John turned around to see what the others had chosen. As he suspected, most of the soldiers followed the same logic, although the ODSTs mostly limited themselves to just a suppressed SMG and silenced magnum pistol. Roughly one per squad carried what could be constituted as a heavy weapon, generally a SPKNR or M319 Grenade Launcher, with another carrying a SRS99 Sniper Rifle, neither of which John hoped would have to be used. Linda had deigned to grab her sniper rifle and forgo a pistol while Kelly did the same with a shotgun. Fred had ended up grabbing the same loadout John did, and before long all of the soldiers were equipped and ready to go.

As one, the soldiers exited the armory and made their way towards the hangar. As they did, Hannibal relayed team composition, assignment dropship, and selected landing sites to them. John quickly looked over his orders, and found that he was to command a five-man fireteam led by Staff Sergeant Li. The rest of his team was Lance Corporal Bisset, Corporal Schmidt, and Privates Alberti, Williams, and Hernandez. They would be landing on the eastern side of Continent Alpha near a large mountain range. Fred, meanwhile, would be leading a team on Alpha's western desert, taking over command of Staff Sergeant Gonzalez' squad. Linda would be landing in Continent Charlie's western jungles, being led by Lieutenant Gamal while Kelly would be going south to Epsilon's southern coastline under the command of Lieutenant Sato. Lieutenant Kalib would be leading her squad of ODSTs to the northeastern coastline of Charlie, while Sergeant Graves would be going the furthest north to Continent Beta's coastline.

The rest of the assignments were quickly analyzed by John as they reached the hangars. There, they saw ten D77-TC Pelican dropships being prepped for launch. Ammunition for their nose-mounted auto-cannons and rockets for their wing-mounted missile pods were being loaded, and with one final series of nods the soldiers split apart and went to their Pelicans. John took the moment to look at Staff Sergeant Li, who was observing him in turn. He decided now was the best time to talk with the man, figuring it would be best to smooth out any potential hiccups prior to launch.

"Staff Sergeant, a word please?" John asked. To Li's credit, he immediately nodded and walked with John away from the rest of his squad, leaving them to converse among themselves while giving the two commander's the occasional odd glance.

"If this is about what Kalib and the others were trying to stir up, Master Chief, you don't have to worry," Sergeant Li insisted with a slight shrug. "My team and I have no issues working with a SPARTAN. You can trust us to do our part."

John honestly appreciated hearing that. It would definitely make their job go smoother, and something told him that Admiral Cole and Hannibal purposefully put him in charge of ODSTs who were more open to the idea than, say, Lieutenant Kalib. The same was probably the case with Fred, Kelly, and Linda, but John chose not to voice those thoughts and instead nodded.

"I appreciate the concern, Sergeant, but that's not why I wanted to speak with you," John said. From behind his depolarized visor Sergeant Li pursed his lips in thought, then nodded.

"Yeah, I figured. Just felt it needed to be said." Li sighed, then placed his hands on his hips and glanced over to his squad before looking back at John. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. When I said we don't mind working with SPARTANs, I meant it. But the fact remains that these are still my men who I've fought alongside for years. The way I see it, they're my responsibility. While I'll respect Admiral Cole's decision, I won't lie and say I'm not a little frustrated."

"I understand that," John replied. He honestly did. Even now, seeing Kelly and Linda talking to their newly appointed superior officers left him with a feeling in his gut he couldn't quite describe. Concern was probably the best way to put it, he figured. At least when he was in charge of Blue Team and his fellow SPARTANs he could attempt to control the variables and ensure everyone made it out in one piece. But now he was putting three of his SPARTANs, his family, into the hands of others. It wasn't a feeling he liked, which was why he was able to sympathize with Sergeant Li's misgivings without feeling offense.

Regardless, he was put in charge, and he intended to make that clear.

"Still, I am in charge of this squad for the duration of the mission," John said. Before Li could reply, John continued, "I would, however, appreciate any tactical input you may have regarding your team while we're on the field. As you said, you've fought alongside them for years, so you know their capabilities better than me."

Li scrunched his eyes for a moment, then they widened in realization as to what John was actually saying. The SPARTAN-II was giving the ODST an out, a way to make it clear to his team that he was still their leader while still ensuring that the proper chain of command was being followed. John could read his body language easily, and it was obvious that the middle-aged Chinese man appreciated his outreach.

"I think I can manage that," Sergeant Li finally replied with a brisk nod.

"Good." John looked over to his squad of ODSTs, who were still waiting at the Pelican's troop bay while openly staring at the two. The Master Chief looked down at the Staff Sergeant he had been conversing with, and Li immediately took the opening John was giving him.

"What are you roughnecks gawking at?" Li barked. "Get in those seats, soldiers!"

"Yes, Staff Sergeant!" the ODSTs shouted back, immediately stepping onto the troop bay and strapping themselves into their seats. A moment later, Sergeant Li and John-117 stepped onto the Pelican and took their seats at the front end of the troop bay nearest to the exit ramp. A moment later, the doors hissed as they closed, and their comms rang to life.

"_Passengers, this is your pilot speaking,_" their pilot calmly called out from inside the cockpit. A few of the ODSTs chuckled, recognizing what the pilot was doing. "_Welcome aboard to Pelican Romeo 234. We will be departing shortly for the planet surface. You may feel a slight bump as we enter the atmosphere, but that is perfectly normal. Our approximate flight time is ten minutes til touchdown, and we will be departing no later than two hours back to the _Everest."

Although John would've appreciated the military airman not trying to speak like a commercial pilot, he could at least appreciate the calming atmosphere he was generating. The rest of the soldiers were visibly trying to hold back their laughter, and given how much of an unknown this entire mission was, a little bit of levity could go a long way.

Still, two hours was not a long time to conduct recon. In all likelihood, two hours was an optimistic timeframe, and there was a possibility of them falling back well before then. Whether due to the natives getting to them faster than they expected, or some other unforeseen variable. He hoped it would be the former. At least that they were expecting.

"_Warning. Hangar Bay Decompression commencing. Please leave the area,_" an automated voice rang out over everyone's comms as red strobe lights lit up the hangar. In a fast yet organized fashion, the crewmen secured their equipment to the walls and designated racks, then exited through massive bulkhead doors that sealed shut behind them. What once was a large and bustling hangar was now empty save for ten Pelicans and their cargo. They could hear the faint whine and hum of the ship, but then they felt a slight jolt as the air was gently sucked out of the bay and into the rest of the ship. After a few moments, they could only hear the faint hum of the Pelican's four hybrid fusion engines. Even the massive hangar bay doors opening to expose the vastness of space didn't make a sound due to the lack of air to transfer the sound waves.

"Looks like they're heading out," Private Alberti pointed out. True to his word, the Pelicans were lifting one at a time, flying out into the vacuum of space and pitching down to the planet. As John watched the Pelicans depart one by one, the other ODSTs began to converse once again.

"So, any bets on what we're going to find down there?" Private Williams asked.

"Aliens," Corporal Schmidt replied, causing Williams to turn and shake his head.

"Well, yeah. Duh, we're going to find aliens. We've been finding nothing but aliens for the last fifteen years," Williams pointed out. "I meant what kind? Mammals, insect? Maybe actual Grey Aliens or Lizardmen."

"Been wondering where those guys were, to be honest," Hernandez joked, causing a slight chuckle to echo across the Pelican. With his visor depolarized, the other soldiers could see the smile spread across the Hispanic man's face as he leaned his head back against his headrest. "You know what I think we're going to find? _Star Trek_ aliens. I mean, we're overdo for them, right?"

"What?" Alberti asked, while Lance Corporal Bisset sighed and shook her head.

"Dieu, Hernandez, you're such a nerd, you know that?" she sarcastically replied. Alberti, meanwhile, continued to look confused.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, man," he said, causing Hernandez to shoot his squad mate a look.

"Seriously, you haven't-? Never mind," he groaned, then gestured to his forehead. "Rubber forehead aliens, you know? Like, they look almost exactly like humans, just with things like ridges on their foreheads or pointy ears."

"Those just sound like humans with extra bits."

"But they _aren't_, that's the key," Hernandez joked, wagging his finger. The others looked at him for a moment, then they chuckled back.

"Would definitely be better than the ones we got now," Alberti admitted.

"If we're getting _Star Trek _aliens, I hope it's the green-skin alien space babes I was promised," Sergeant Li added, a clear smile on his face as their Pelican's engines roared and they felt the craft lift itself off the ground.

"You know what, I'll take that bet," Williams added with a smile on his face. "I reckon they're some kind of hive-mind creature that can take your body like a parasite and turn you into a zombie."

"Hah, as if!"

Despite himself, John couldn't help but slightly smirk as the Pelican finally took off and flew towards the planet. Once they hit the atmosphere, the dropship slightly jostled from the reentry. Fire erupted around the aircraft, but the internal stabilizers left their flight remarkably smooth.

"What about you, Schmidt? Bisset? Master Chief?" Williams asked expectantly. Bisset shook her head before looking at the private, placing her hand on her lap.

"Hard to say, really. The one's we've met are so varied as it is," Bisset pointed out. A reasonable answer, in John's opinion, while the others turned towards Schmidt.

"I'm with Bisset," Schmidt answered. "Whatever they are, though, anything would be better than the Covenant."

"Total agreement there," Hernandez replied with a frown. "The aliens we have _suck_. I want a refund."

"You didn't pay for anything," Bisset pointed out.

"Then I want a refund anyway."

"Hernandez, you cheap bastard," Williams joked, then turned his head towards the Master Chief. "What about you, sir? Any predictions?"

John thought about whether he should answer. This discussion wasn't truly in the interests of the mission, and might even be a distraction if taken too far, but it was obviously having a calming effect on the troops. After a moment, he figured giving his honest thoughts wouldn't hurt.

"It honestly depends on what life down there is like," the Master Chief admitted. "There are so many complex and intricate environmental details that make each planetary biosphere different than the last. Judging from what we can see from orbit, and past examples from our own colonial history, I can make a few assumptions. The cooler regions will likely boast larger, more aggressive predators and prey as they attempt to shield themselves from the cold, while the desert regions will probably boast smaller species in contrast to keep themselves cool. Beyond that, it's all conjecture.

"That's not even getting into the sapient species that calls this planet home. The species that make up the Covenant are so varied that it's hard to form a base model, assuming it even is only one intelligent species that has developed on this planet. If they evolved in the desert regions, they might be adapted to survive long stretches of little to no water, perhaps with camel-like hunches. Perhaps in some nutrient-starved jungles the flora and fauna were forced to merge in a mutualistic bid for survival. Many of the cities are on the coasts or near rivers, so perhaps they require direct access to water in order to survive. It's impossible to say at this point."

John paused, then turned his head to glance at the ODSTs. They were staring at him now, their depolarized helmets doing nothing to mask their dumbfounded expressions. Clearly, they were not anticipating such a belabored response. He stared at them for a moment, his awkward embarrassment completely obscured by the impenetrable mirror of his visor and rigid posture, then shrugged with feigned nonchalance.

"Either that or _Star Wars_ aliens, where they say they're not human, but they really are."

Chief's joke did the trick. Another round of chuckles echoed in the troop bay, then they felt the Pelican level out. John stood up and walked to the cockpit, where he looked out the windows and saw them pass through clouds illuminated only by moonlight, soon entering sight of a vast mountain range sitting atop a large woodland forest.

"Everyone, focus," Sergeant Li called out, knowing they were about to touch down. As though flipping a switch, the lighthearted atmosphere inside the Pelican was replaced with one of pure professionalism. The pilot flew down the mountainside, racing atop the canopy before finding a small clearing the Pelican could fit in. He turned the aircraft on a dime, slowing it down and gently hovering in place before descending. Landing pads and ramps came down and settled against the soft, green grass, and as soon as the troop bay door opened, five veteran ODSTs and one SPARTAN-II commando piled out with their weapons raised.

"Front side clear," Schmidt called out from the nose of the Pelican.

"Back, clear," Bisset echoed, this time from the left side. One by one, the other ODSTs and John reported no signs of hostile activity, meaning they were safe.

"Pilot, any sign of native activity?" John asked as the pilot exited the now open cockpit.

"Negative, Master Chief. We flew past their scanners too quickly for them to track us, and our systems prevented any that did from pinpointing our location. For now, we're good," the pilot answered, and John nodded.

"Keep an eye on radar. Report any signs of native activity heading our way," John ordered, and the pilot nodded.

"Will do, Chief." With that, the pilot rejoined his copilot and closed the door behind him. The troop bay door closed as well, sealing the dropship entirely. John eyed the Pelican for a moment, then turned towards Sergeant Li.

"Sergeant, before we depart, any suggestions?" John asked. Li, his visor now polarized, nodded and turned his head towards Schmidt, who was already crouching down and rubbing his gloved fingers across a mossy rock.

"Schmidt, you were Army Pathfinder. Lend Master Chief a hand, will you?"

"Yes, sir," Schmidt complied, then jogged towards the Master Chief. "Chief."

"Corporal." John nodded, then turned his head towards the forest facing the front of the Pelican and the mountains before turning back to the ODST. "Scans indicated a river to the east running away from the mountain. We should be able to find a settlement to observe downriver."

"Probably, assuming they did what we did," Schmidt replied. "We can follow animal trails to conceal our movements. Once we find out where they are, we can choose a spot to observe from."

"My thoughts exactly. Corporal, take point," John ordered. Corporal Schmidt nodded, then raised his silenced submachine gun and hovered his finger near the trigger but not on it as he carefully walked deeper into the woods. The other ODSTs, spread out slightly to cover more area, followed, and once they all passed John, he took up the rear and walked after them.

* * *

_Continent Alpha Desert, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 20:30 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

As Fred-104 looked out over the desert sands, the afternoon sun bearing down as it slowly descended towards the horizon, his MJOLNIR's HUD fed him various environmental data that his suit was monitoring and simultaneously feeding back to the _Everest_. The atmospheric pressure was roughly 101 kilopascals of pressure, the same atmospheric pressure at sea level on Earth. The temperature was a blistering 104 degrees Celsius, making him glad he was wearing his MJOLNIR with built in temperature regulators. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and only rock and sand greeted him from every direction.

"Lovely place, ain't it?" Fred asked to no one in particular.

"Reminds me of this book I read once. It was set on a desert planet filled with massive sandworms," one ODST remarked.

"Really? I was thinking it reminded me of Tatooine," another replied, but the first shook his head.

"Nah, man. Tatooine has two suns. This place just has one."

"Neither does this place have sandworms."

"Far as you know. They could be underneath our feet at this very moment," Fred said with some levity. The ODSTs under his temporary command chuckled, then the SPARTAN-II motioned them to move out. He turned his head to the top of the rocky structure their Pelican landed on, where he saw the pilot flash a thumbs up to give the all clear. Fred repeated the gesture, confident that should they run into any trouble their ride would be on standby to get them the hell out of dodge.

With his M7-S raised against his shoulder, Fred walked out onto the sand and swiveled across the horizon. A few lifeforms were in the distance, too far for his helmet's magnification to accurately make out beyond their general lizard-like shape. As they got closer, he saw they were small, hand-sized reptiles basking in the sun, not caring for the humans' sudden appearance. He thought about bagging one for analysis on the _Everest_, but he quickly decided against it. The last thing he wanted was to find out that these seemingly insignificant lizards were something sacred to this people and killing them was heresy that would trigger a holy war of extermination. They already had aliens doing that to them, no need to add on.

"I swear, that lizard looks just like a horned toad," an ODST with a Texan accent remarked. Fred looked it over again, then shrugged.

"I'll have to take your word for it. Never seen a horned toad before," Fred admitted. While his training was wide and extensive, zoology wasn't one of the main subjects.

"Well, they look just like that," the man insisted, gesturing with his silenced submachine gun. He looked at the others, hoping for some backup, but to his dismay they seemed just as lost as Fred was. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me y'all never heard of horned toads before?"

"You're the only one of us who grew up on Earth, Ramirez," Sergeant Gonzalez pointed out. "Or the Sol system for that matter."

Private Ramirez sighed and shook his head before continuing on. At the same time, Fred looked back at the 'horned toad,' his helmet's HUD flipping through the _Everest's_ connected databanks in search of an image. A few moments later, he got a match, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Look at this," Fred said, transmitting the image to the other soldiers. They stopped in their tracks to look at it, then shot their heads towards the reptiles in shock.

"Huh…that's kind of weird," Corporal Hicks remarked as she rubbed the top of her helmet in confusion.

"See, I told you," Private Ramirez boasted while thumping his chest. Gonzalez, meanwhile, looked towards the SPARTAN-II with his head tilted, silently asking a question. Fred already knew what question he was asking, and after a moment holstered his submachine gun against his thigh.

"I want DNA samples," Fred ordered as his hand shot out and grabbed one of the lizards. It squealed in fright as the others scattered, trying to bite his armored hand, but Fred ignore it as he gestured towards Hicks to hand him a syringe from the sample kit she carried. She complied, and Fred held the reptile still as he inserted the needle into the animal's belly and drew a small sample of blood. Once he was done, he pulled it out and applied a coagulant to stem the small bleeding, then released it back onto the rock. It skittered away as fast as its little legs could take it, and soon disappeared under the sand. Fred handed the sample back to Hicks, who stored it away as Fred walked back to the front of the group.

"Alright, slight change in plans," Fred announced, turning back to the group of soldiers. "Private Satou, contact the _Everest_ and let them know what we found. Corporal Abbad, get on top of that ridge and see if you can't find anything interesting. I thought I saw an oasis on the way down due west, so start in that direction. Everyone else, secure the area."

"Yes, sir," the ODSTs replied all at once before separating to fulfill their objectives. Corporal Abbad stored his sniper rifle onto his back and began climbing up the large rock while Private Satou crouched down and broadcasted an encrypted signal back up to the _Everest_ using the communications' equipment strapped to his back. Fred, meanwhile, continued to scan the horizon along with the rest of the ODSTs, ensuring that nothing was trying to sneak up on him.

At the same time, an uneasy feeling was beginning to form in his gut. He might not have the near precognitive danger-sense that Kurt-051 had, but something was telling Fred that he and his squad were in more danger than they realized. Fred supposed it was the shock of seemingly finding a species native to Earth on the planet, but even still he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

"_Sir,_" Corporal Abbad called out through TEAMCOMM.

"Corporal, what did you find?" Fred asking, thankful for the distraction.

"_You were right. There's an oasis about ten kilometers away, due northwest. I think I see a village, too, but I'm not completely certain on that._"

Fred thought it over, then nodded. "It'll do. Good work, Corporal. Climb on down and—"

Suddenly, everything seemed to shake. The ODSTs, surprised at the sudden commotion, braced themselves against the rock while Fred was able to keep himself standing upright without any issue. Dust and sand swirled up from a nearby dune, and a large shape was beginning to erupt out of it. Fred and the recovered ODSTs raised their weapons towards the anomaly, only to slowly lower their weapons once the sheer scale of the apparent creature became known.

"Dios mío," Gonzalez gasped as the sand fell off of the massive creature. It was nearly a hundred-feet tall, covered in reddish scales. The top was covered in a flat shell, and as more of it was exposed a large, turtle-like head came out from it. Four paddle feet came out of the side, and soon it turned its head to look at the amazed soldiers. A tense moment passed as both sides stared at each other, then the creature turned its head away and began to swim away across the sand, forming a dust cloud in its wake. The soldiers watched as the creature departed, none finding the words for several minutes.

"…That was a big-ass turtle," Corporal Hicks succinctly pointed out.

"Noted," Fred flatly replied, thoughts running in his head about how a creature of that size could survive not only in a desolate desert but simply in an atmosphere with the same pressure and oxygen content Earth did.

"…I, uh, was able to get to the _Everest_," Satou revealed. "They…want us to continue our current mission, but also take any DNA samples we can."

"Well, we were going to do that anyway, so nothing unexpected," Fred stated. As the turtle swam further away, Fred kept his eyes focused on it, then shrugged. "Obviously not that thing. We'll call that a lost cause."

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

_Continent Charlie Lake, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 20:51 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

Linda-058 stared through her sniper rifle's scope at the anomaly their pilot had chosen to land beside. Or rather, had to land by. They were near a large circular lake in the northern regions of the continent, one that housed a large island in the western center. They were on the southern side, where their pilot had detected a strange gravitational disturbance that Lieutenant Gamal ordered them to investigate. As they got closer, however, the light of the full moon revealed a sight none of them were expecting.

The source of the disturbance came from a series of islands that sported large, crystalline growths coming out of the sides and bottom. Most of the crystals were a deep purple, with other colors such as green, red, and blue scattered around, but what was most peculiar about the islands was the fact that they were floating several hundred meters off the surface of the lake. Her gut told her the crystals were somehow responsible, and Lieutenant Gamal had the same suspicion. Now, instead of continuing towards the jungles, they were scouring the area for any samples they could find. Some were littered on the ground, small enough to be carefully picked up, while others were embedded into the rock and required more careful excavation.

"Easy, easy," an ODST near Linda spoke to himself as he used his knife to hammer away at the rock surrounding a crystal. Linda watched him as he worked, but kept the majority of her attention on their surroundings. Thanks to her rifle's night-vision scope, the normally pitch-black darkness was illuminated in a vibrant green. She could see the ODSTs working to gather samples while others, like her, were on lookout. The only things they could see were various nocturnal creatures like bats, owls, moths and the like, which itself was a cause for concern. Still, their focus was on the crystals. The more they could bring up to the _Everest_, the better.

Then, from the corner of her eye, Linda watched as the ODST near her accidentally banged his knife against the crystal. It began to glow purple, and everything seemed to slow down. Without thinking, Linda lunged for the man and grabbed hold of his backpack, then threw him as hard as she could away from the crystal as it seemed to crackle and spark. She leaped away after him, and as soon as she did, the crystal exploded like a grenade, sending her flying back while shooting fragments of rock in every direction. To her shock, instead of heat she felt what could only be described as g-forces push against her as she landed hard against the ground before continuing her momentum into a roll. The ODST was more rattled, but otherwise was unharmed as the others rushed towards them, their weapons raised.

"What the hell happened?!" an ODST named Private Beck asked, looking at the fresh hole in the rock where the crystal once rested. Lieutenant Gamal shot his head towards Linda, who tilted hers towards the smoking hole.

"It appears the crystals are volatile, sir. Private Jameson accidentally nicked one, causing it to explode," Linda reported. Gamal studied her for a moment, then turned his head towards the recovering Jameson as his fellow ODSTs helped him to his feet.

"Jameson, you alright?" Gamal asked, and the ODST nodded while breathing heavily.

"Ye…yes, sir. Ears are ringing, but I'm alright," Jameson admitted. Gamal nodded, then turned back to the SPARTAN. He nodded in appreciation, which Linda returned without saying a word. None needed to be said, and soon the ODST leader was barking at his soldiers to pack up whatever remaining samples they already acquired _carefully_ into storage boxes on the Pelican. Neither he, nor any of the others felt the need to put themselves in any further unnecessary risk trying to mine these out without the proper tools. They got lucky once, but as any soldier knows, luck can only get you so far before it runs out.

As the ODSTs went to work, Linda stayed still and kept staring at the hole. Her brow was furrowed, both in confusion and curiosity. Never before had she seen a crystal react to physical touch the way it did, nor did any natural solid react so explosively. Obviously, it was filled with energy, but what kind of energy allowed it to seemingly defy gravity?

"What are you thinking?" Lieutenant Gamal asked as he walked up to her. She turned her body to face him and looked down, then nodded.

"These crystals, I haven't seen anything like them before. I can't help but wonder about what natural phenomena led to its creation? Highly volatile crystals that can defy gravity seem to be the result of something more than geological heat and pressure," she admitted.

"Same here. Think that the natives might've learned how to use it?" he asked, and Linda nodded.

"Possibly. They're apparently abundant enough to grow out of the ground, at least in certain places. I don't have any evidence to support it yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if the native civilization knew how to harvest and make use of them."

"I hope so. I'm beginning to think that these crystals are all like that. I bet the eggheads will have a field day with them."

"My thoughts exactly," Linda said, then something flashed by on her motion tracker. It was accompanied by the reverberating sound of insect-like wingbeats, only ones that were far larger than anything she had heard before. Not even the largest Drones she had fought sounded that large. Her head shot towards it, only for the disturbance to disappear. The ODST seemed alarmed and already had his silenced submachine gun raised, obviously having heard it too.

"See anything?" he asked, but Linda shook her head.

"Not anymore," she replied, keeping her focus on the floating islands.

"It sounded like a Drone."

"No. It sounded bigger."

They kept their attention on the islands for a few more moments, with the other ODSTs joining in. After a few minutes of silence, however, they relaxed and lowered their guard.

"Alright, let's move out. We got a lot of ground to cover," Gamal announced, motioning with his arm to get his troops to move out. Linda kept her attention on the rocks before she, too, turned around and moved on. Yet, the feeling that she was being watched never subsided, and so she remained on guard.

* * *

_Continent Epsilon Southern Coastline, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 21:15 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

If Kelly had to describe Continent Epsilon in one word, it would have to be 'cramped.' Three-fourths of the continent was covered in inhospitable desert, and the rest was dense jungle. They landed in one of those jungles near the coastline, and the six soldiers were finding it a challenge to maneuver effectively. What didn't help matters was that the wildlife proved to be highly aggressive and territorial. Nothing they couldn't handle, obviously, but more than a few rounds were expended in keeping them at bay. They made sure to take DNA samples from them, however. Why let the encounter go to waste?

Her biggest concern, however, wasn't the wildlife. Instead, looking through her helmet's HUD, Kelly and the other ODSTs were laying prone overlooking a small village. The structures were made out of primarily wood and what looked like sheet metal in some cases. Several small docks jetted out into the water, where they could see hastily discarded fishing nets and gear scattered around the docks and village, along with many wooden boats. Not a soul could be seen, but one key detail was noticed about all the various dwellings. Their doors were closed, and if she had to guess, they were locked.

"It's like a damn ghost town down there," an ODST named Corporal Sho noted with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Did we scare them that much?" Private Anderson asked, only for Private Lewis to scoff audibly.

"What did you expect would happen? We show up out of the blue and park our massive ship in front of their moon then don't say a goddamn thing. Of course they're going to be scared out of their minds. Can't say I blame them," she pointed out. Kelly reasoned that she had a point. The UNSC likely hadn't made the best first impression in retrospect.

"Can you blame _us_ for being cautious?" another piped up more forcibly. "Up until now, every single alien species that could talk has tried to kill us for no good reason. Because our existence is an 'affront to their gods' or some crap. Frankly, if it were up to me, I'd bombard these people from orbit and call it a day. Would rather not take the risk."

Most of the other ODSTs were clearly outraged by their comrade's comments, with Lewis hissing, "That would make us no better than the Covenant!"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not making the decisions, isn't it?"

"That's enough, Vogel," Lieutenant Sato growled, cutting off any further argument before it could fester. While the ODSTs fumed, Kelly silently thought to herself. The way she saw it, both Vogel and Lewis had a point. Every sapient alien they'd come across previously had tried to kill them, so an abundance of caution was warranted. She wouldn't go so far as to recommend outright extermination, though. Kelly didn't wish to inflict that on anyone, even the Covenant. If she had to in order to ensure humanity's survival, then she'd do it without a second thought, but she'd rather the war end conventionally prior to that point. At the same time, viewing these new aliens as potential threats was painting them with the same brush as the Covenant. It wasn't fair to them, and more importantly, treating everyone who might be an enemy as if they already were tended to be self-fulfilling. With how dire things were, the last thing they needed was more adversaries, even if they were only confined to a single planet.

Personally, Kelly thought that Cole's actions, while perhaps a tad too cautious, were the best options that ensured everyone's safety. They couldn't treat these aliens like they were enemies, but they also couldn't treat them like they were friends, either. That naïve belief had died along with Harvest all those years ago, and so she'd treat these new aliens as a neutral party. Neither friend nor foe. They'd have to decide which one they were, and only then would Kelly respond in kind.

* * *

_Continent Alpha Eastern Forests, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 21:30 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

As John and his team suspected, along the riverbanks was a village. The fact that these aliens followed standard human settlement procedures was somewhat of a relief, but any relief was dashed when they saw the state it was in. Had the village been locked down or on high alert, they wouldn't have cared for that reaction would've been expected. Understandable even, given the UNSC's sudden arrival. Instead, they found something else entirely.

"What the hell happened here?" Hernandez wondered aloud as he and other soldiers poked their heads and the barrels of their submachine guns out of the surface of the water, spying on a village that looked as though it had just been besieged. A dull orange glow from various fires rose up into the starry night sky along with pitch black smoke. Several sections of the stone wall was completely shattered, and the metal gate that marked the village entrance was warped and torn beyond use. The ODSTs had been using the river to mask their approach, taking advantage of the internal oxygen in their suits to remain completely submerged, but now they were using it to keep themselves hidden from whatever caused this devastation. John didn't like it at all, and neither did any of the ODSTs.

"Troopers, move in and stay frosty," John ordered. The ODSTs complied, and as one they silently crept out of the water and onto the riverbank. Cold water dripped down their BDUs and John's MJOLNIR armor, droplets accumulating on their helmets that were quickly wiped away with their hands or otherwise ignored. They grouped themselves along the shattered wall, their fingers resting next to their weapons' triggers as they prepared to breach. With one thrust of John's left hand, the ODSTs swiftly entered the village from the hole in the wall, fanning out to secure the perimeter.

Once inside, John allowed himself to survey the village more closely. It was mostly made of wood and brick, with roads paved with stone. The main street was the widest one, with others shooting out from it to form a square grid pattern that various buildings were built on. Much like the exterior, everything inside was thoroughly demolished. Structures that once stood tall were now nothing more than rubble, red hot embers marked the locations of what were once mighty fires, and black soot covered everything in sight as grey ash fell from the sky.

"Sir, I'm not getting any movement," Schmidt announced, sweeping the area with his M7-S at the ready. Sergeant Li nodded, then turned to the Master Chief to look for guidance.

"Search the area and report back anything you find. Stay in pairs," Chief announced.

"Wilco," the ODSTs replied in unison, then moved out to cover the village in pairs as ordered. Leaving from the east side of the village, Hernandez and Williams covered the north side while Schmidt and Bisset covered the south. John and Li moved west, keeping a close eye on their motion trackers and their helmets' VISR illuminating everything in the otherwise low-light environment.

"Thoughts?" Li asked as he and Master Chief carefully entered a building, their weapons raised and ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"I don't like this," Chief replied. "We saw no signs that this planet was at war prior to our arrival, and this attack happened recently. No more than three hours, tops."

"Then what the hell attacked them?" Li wondered. "Perhaps bandits or groups similar to Insurrectionists?"

"Maybe," Chief admitted. From the UNSC's own experience with the Insurrection, rebel groups attempting to take advantage in unknown situations even when they shouldn't to further their own goals wasn't out of the cards. There were multiple times when Insurrectionists even attempted to ally themselves with the Covenant with the hope that the aliens would help them destroy the UNSC, such as during Operation: SILENT STORM where Insurrectionists attempted to sabotage the mission just to kill John and his SPARTANs. Another instance involved an Insurrectionist settlement called 'The Rubble,' a collection of hollowed-out asteroids connected by docking tubes. Their leaders had attempted to bargain and trade with Jackal smugglers, with the location of Earth itself on the table before SPARTAN Grey Team and a then-lieutenant Jacob Keyes worked with the inhabitants of the Rubble and their rampant AI overseer to prevent that from happening.

In light of these instances and others, along with the remaining Insurrectionists continuing their foolhardy campaign for independence in a time when, more than ever, humanity needed to be united just to survive, it was easy for him to believe similar groups existed on this planet. Part of him even wondered if the Covenant had similar groups within itself and whether they could be convinced to ally with the UNSC, but he personally doubted it. If they did exist, it was likely the Covenant would destroy them as soon as possible, nor did it guarantee they'd work with humans.

"Hold up. I found something," Li announced, stopping in his tracks as they entered another building. John swept the area, finding what appeared to be a kitchen complete with stove and oven. In contrast to the rustic look on the outside, these appliances appeared to be quite technologically advanced. LED displays, touchscreens, and more. Curiously, when he examined the stove more closely, he didn't see any nozzles for natural gas nor any coils to be electrically heated. Instead, he saw a dull red crystal held in an apparatus underneath a cover. The other four stove tops had the same design, and as he and Li looked at the rest of the appliances, including what looked to him like a refrigerator, he noticed special compartments that housed similar crystals of varying colors.

"Are these crystals powering them?" Li wondered aloud as he opened the refrigerator to look upon a light blue crystal billowing frigid air out from it.

"It would appear so," Chief admitted, then switched to TEAMCOMM and began to speak. "Team, report."

"_North side clear. Clearing out what appears to be a residential area,_" Williams reported.

"_East side is clear as well,_" Bisset announced as well. "_No bodies, though, which disturbs me._"

"Any blood?" Li asked as he and Chief moved into the next room, then the two soldiers stopped dead in their tracks as they saw the room's contents. The entire wooden structure was painted red with blood, with chunks of meat and gore scattered. Nothing was recognizable, and with his voice wavering, Li said, "Be advised. Found remains."

'_What was left of them_,' John thought as he walked towards it. He crouched down and ran his fingers through the blood, rubbing it between his fingers gingerly as he inspected it. With his years of training and education under the direction of Doctor Catherine Halsey, he was well versed in biology. The fact that the blood was red meant the creature it belonged to was similar to them in that their blood used hemoglobin and iron to carry oxygen throughout the body. With the multicolored blood of the Covenant, from an Elite's purple to a Grunt's bright blue and a Hunter's orange, an alien having red blood like a human was somewhat refreshing.

"Li, search the other houses," Chief ordered, pulling out a sample kit and carefully grabbing a chunk of meat for storage. Part of him felt this was desecrating the dead, but at the same time this was a prime opportunity to get DNA analysis on these aliens. Li, meanwhile, left the house with his weapon raised and moved towards a nearby building, sweeping the area for any signs of hostilities. Like the previous house, he found remains as well, but no intact bodies.

"Jesus Christ…" he muttered to himself as he reported his findings over TEAMCOMM. At the same time, the other members of John's team reported similar findings, as well as larger chunks of meat that sported what could only be described as bite marks. What's more, evidence of large claws marred the buildings and streets, and occasionally a large lupine-like pawprint could be seen in the mud. Given how they knew for a fact that wolves somehow existed on this planet, John felt the comparison was more than appropriate. What he focused on most, however, was the evidence of a firefight that had broken out. Bullet holes and scorch marks marred the interior and exterior of the buildings, as well as arrows that were embedded into various surfaces.

'_Perhaps this was a hunting village,_' John thought as he entered another building, again finding the same result as the previous one. No bodies, but copious evidence of something once living here. He prepared to take a sample and move on, only to pause as he saw something metal glimmering in the moonlight. He crouch-walked over to it for closer inspection, and he found that the object was unmistakably a gun, although its condition was mangled beyond repair. There were two bent barrels attached to a shattered wooden stock, and a release on the back of the barrels that allowed them to swing down, likely to reload. It reminded John of a double-barrel shotgun, and after a quick search he found a few shells laying in a pool of blood.

"At least we know they use projectiles," Li noted. John nodded, then put the mangled weapon down while storing the shells for analysis back at the _Everest_.

For the next ten minutes, John and the rest of the ODSTs scoured the rest of the village, cataloguing and sampling everything they could. Various weapons were found, ranging from bolt-action rifles, pistols and shotguns to more primitive swords, spears, hammers and axes. The fact that they appeared in equal number was odd to the soldiers, but they chalked it up to either cultural significance or a lack of resources to acquire more 'modern' weaponry. Of course, the UNSC's weapons were centuries ahead of what they were using, but what was odd was how the bullets themselves didn't have gunpowder. Instead, when an ODST popped one open, he found what could only be described as brightly colored sand. After that discovery, every bullet and weapon, they could find was stored in their kits, with every intention of studying them back on the _Everest_.

More importantly, with each building they entered and every street they crossed, more of the picture began filling in. This village was attacked and destroyed by what could only be described as an animal attack. How or why, they weren't certain. Were the animals simply attack dogs for some rival group, or was the fauna of this planet far more dangerous than they originally assumed? John didn't know which one was worse, nor did he know if any survivors managed to escape the slaughter. That, more than anything, caused the SPARTAN to worry, for if this village was attacked as recently as he feared, there was no guarantee they were gone. That put them in a very dangerous situation, and so he ordered the pairs to regroup at the village center. None of the ODSTs complained, for they felt a similar foreboding sense of dread.

"Looks like a town hall," Schmidt announced as he and the other soldiers looked up at a large building in the village center. It was the largest building in the area, with at least three stories arranged in a rectangular formation. The top middle was a shattered dome, and large wooden doors were ripped from its hinges. Moving as one, the ODSTs and their SPARTAN-II leader entered the building, sweeping every inch for hostiles or potential survivors. Only Bisset and Hernandez remained outside to secure the perimeter. As before, they found only mangled corpses and shattered walls, and so began to work on cataloguing everything they could.

"Hey, I found a computer," Williams announced. John looked over to see a boxy monitor connected to a CPU on the ground via wires. The ODST was pressing a few buttons but got no result, and so he shrugged and moved on. Others were looking through drawers and what looked like filing cabinets, but John was more focused on the makeshift barricades, consisting of fallen over cabinets and furniture, that blocked many of the doors. Even the door they just went through once had a barricade, but that had been thrown aside to shatter against the walls opposite them. Blood and gore lined everywhere, telling John everything he needed to know.

"_Master Chief, I think I found something_," Bisset announced over TEAMCOMM.

"Which is?" Chief asked as he motioned for the ODSTs to stop and listen.

"_Footprints leading outside through a hole in the wall. I think a few managed to get out,_" she revealed.

"Stay where you are. We're coming to you," John said, his armor already setting a waypoint on Bisset's location that transmitted to the rest of the ODSTs. They followed it outside, where they saw Bisset crouched down over a patch of mud next to a small hole in the rocky wall. Hernandez was standing over her, his weapon raised and scanning for anything out of place.

"Right here, sir," Bisset indicated with an outstretched finger. John knelt down to inspect the footprints more closely. They were treaded, likely from footwear, and there were many of them clustered together in a haphazard way that could only describe a panicked rush to escape. For the most part, they were so clustered and frantic that it was nearly impossible to make an intact one out, but as he followed the trail they left, he was able to find one that was mostly intact. To his surprise, the footprint looked very similar to one a human would leave. Yet, with the fact that it was obviously encased in footwear, it was nearly impossible to draw conclusions as to what the creature actually looked like.

"Sergeant Li, your thoughts?" Chief asked, causing the veteran ODST to come over and crouch down. He looked down the direction of the trail the footprints made and saw what could only be described as a dirt road.

"Any survivors likely took that road. If we follow after them, we might be able to see what they look like. Maybe even find another village or town," Li suggested, and John nodded.

"Have Schmidt take point again. We'll follow after them and see what we can find," Chief ordered. Li nodded, preparing to issue the order, then they all stopped as a low, heavy growl emanated from a nearby building within the village. At once, every single soldier was focused on where the sound came from, their weapons raised and their fingers on the triggers.

"What was that?" Bisset asked.

"No idea," Williams replied. John motioned with a clenched fist to move closer to the source, and so the ODSTs fanned out and walked towards the broken building the sound came from. As they got closer the growling grew ever louder, and soon they covered the front of the building from all angles with John out in front.

It was then that they saw it. A pair of glowing red eyes that stared out from the darkness filled with nothing but hate. Attached to those eyes was a lupine body, covered in pitch-black fur and white plates of what looked like bone encasing its head. Bony spikes jetted out from its back, shoulders and arms, and a short tail dragged behind it.

"Is that a werewolf?" Hernandez asked, bringing to mind the classical image of that mythological monster. When it raised itself to stand on two legs, the comparison grew even more noticeable, especially with how its front paws appeared to be more flexible like a hand.

"Sure as hell looks like one," Williams replied, keeping his weapon aimed at the creature. It's growls grew more menacing and threatening, and John prepared to give the order to put it down when it suddenly charged. It lunged towards Schmidt, who was the closest ODST to it and pinned him to the ground before he even had a chance to fire his weapon. It raised its claw with every intention of gutting the ODST right then and there, but a hail of gunfire immediate struck the creature from all sides. The M443 Caseless FMJ rounds, designed to penetrate the nanolaminate armor all the species of the Covenant used to varying degrees, cracked the bone plating of the werewolf and shredded its muscles. Before it could finish its attack, it collapsed under the weight of its wounds right on top of Schmidt, still twitching and moving its jaws slightly.

"Get it off him!" John ordered, keeping his submachine gun pointed at the creature while Li, Bisset, and Hernandez rushed over to push the werewolf off of their comrade. Once the creature rolled over, John and Williams put a few more rounds into its head, popping it like a balloon and exposing its bright red muscles and internal organs. Only when it stopped moving did John and Williams slightly relax, yet the SPARTAN-II kept his weapon leveled at the creature while Schmidt was tended to.

"Uggh," Schmidt groaned, clutching his chest where there was a noticeable dent in the chest plate along with a bloody gash along his arm. Bisset, the team's medic, was already administering pseudo-morphine and biofoam, preventing the wounds from bleeding and alleviating his pain.

"Does this hurt?" she asked, poking at a soft portion of his chest with her finger after removing the armor section over it.

"Aah, yes!" Schmidt hissed, causing Bisset to frown and nod.

"I think you broke a rib," she said. "Can you move?"

"Give…give me a moment," he replied, breathing heavily as the pain killer worked its way through his body. Chief turned his head towards the ODSTs, catching Sergeant Li's attention and entering a silent conversation that could only be held between two leaders. After a moment, John turned his head towards Schmidt, who was now standing up and breathing heavily. As though the ODST knew what John was thinking, he shook his head.

"I know this looks bad, Master Chief, but I can still fight," he insisted, bringing his M7-S to his chest to show it. John wanted nothing more than to insist otherwise and call Romeo 234 for Schmidt to be extracted, yet the SPARTAN-II knew that doing so carried a risk of its own. He looked at his ammo counter, and noted that even with six weapons gunning the werewolf down, it still took over half his magazine. Even then, it only died after he shot in the head, and if Schmidt were to be extracted, they'd be down a gun that they might very well need. There was another concern he had to acknowledge, however. The other ODSTs might not appreciate their SPARTAN leader sending one of them back after what they would view as a minor injury. His command of the situation might diminish, and in their now confirmed hostile environment, he needed maximum group cohesion.

"Alright," Master Chief acquiesced, "but you're no longer taking point. I want you in the back, and if you experience any change in status for the worse, you're gone. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Schmidt acknowledged, grateful that he wasn't being sidelined. John nodded then ordered his team to secure the area while he made a call to the _Everest_. With the appearance of that 'werewolf,' coupled with all the evidence they had found inside this village, it was now obvious to John about what had happened.

"_Everest_, this is Sierra-117. Be advised, presence of extremely hostile fauna on planet surface. A werewolf-like creature was found in a recently destroyed village and wounded Corporal Schmidt before being put down, and I believe similar creatures were responsible for the attack on the village itself. Assume hostile."

"_Acknowledged, Sierra. Other teams around the planet have been reporting similar incidents, along with a few casualties because of them,_" Hannibal replied. John frowned, clenching his fist yet releasing it just as quickly.

"We'll take a sample for analysis," John said. "With any luck—"

"Chief, look!" Hernandez called out. John shot around, his weapon raised within an instant as he looked at the creature's corpse, only to find that it was disintegrating into a black mist before his very eyes. The other ODSTs couldn't believe what they were seeing, and neither could John for that matter. They followed the black mist as it dissipated into the night air, and only once it was gone did John report back to the _Everest_.

"_Everest,_ we will not be able to acquire samples of the creature. It…turned into mist."

"_Others have reported the same. It's highly unnatural, to put it lightly,_" Hannibal admitted. "_Regardless, continue with your mission, SPARTAN. Be advised, the planet's civilization has noticed our arrival and is moving to intercept. I estimate your team has less than an hour._"

"We'll be gone before then. Sierra, out," John replied, then signed off of TEAMCOMM and walked back to his team.

"What the hell kind of animal turns into mist when it dies?" Hernandez asked, looking among his team for an answer. None were able to give it to him, and so he shook his head and stepped back. "It's unnatural, man."

"Agreed," Sergeant Li replied, then looked at the Master Chief who nodded. Li nodded back, then began reorganizing the team as John walked to the hole in the wall where the footsteps laid.

"I'll take point," he announced, and with his weapon raised he stepped out of the confines of the village towards the road, his team in pursuit and sweeping everything in sight for more of those creatures. At the same time, John thought back to the walls he noticed the cities encased themselves in. Previously, he had wondered what they were for, but now he knew the answer.

The walls weren't there to defend the cities against another civilization. They were there to defend themselves against those unnatural, highly aggressive fauna. Were they the reason why despite the heavy level of industrialization these aliens were capable of, so much of their natural world was relatively untouched? John couldn't help but feel that was the case, and so he worried about what those creatures might mean to the rest of his team and the others around the planet.

* * *

_Continent Beta Tundra, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 21:45 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

Staff Sergeant Graves cursed as the biting cold dug into his ODST BDU. When he and his fireteam were assigned to the northernmost continent, he knew it was going to be cold. Graves had no idea it would be negative forty-nine degrees Celsius cold. How these people managed to live out here was beyond him, but he knew that anyone who did had to be hardcore sons of bitches. Luckily, so were he and his ODSTs, so they would endure it.

Besides, they were much more focused on what lay before them across the icy tundra. Nestled into a small bay lied a fishing village. They could tell because of all the fishing gear and literal fish that lined the premises. A large, segmented wall made of steel surrounded the village, with each segment topped with guard towers. The ODSTs could see what they assumed to be guards inside those towers, shining large spotlights in every direction, but the windows were opaque and thus they were unable to really see what they looked like. Part of him thought that they could simply move closer to get a better look, but he quickly squashed that notion. Stealth was a priority here, and hiding half a kilometer away in some icy rocks and half buried in snow was close enough for him.

"Jones, you see anything?" Graves asked his team's sniper.

"_Nothing yet, Sarge. Those guys must not want to come out of their towers,_" Private Jones reported.

"_I bet it's the heating. Wouldn't want to come out here, either,_" Corporal Kent joked, referring to the steam coming out of the towers' roofs. Graves smiled, then turned his attention to the orange coils connecting the towers, the walls, and every building he could see. He assumed they were part of a heating grid, but for the life of him he couldn't find what their power source was. There were no solar panels or wind turbines, only a large central unit that the heating grid emanated from. From the reports the _Everest_ had been sending them, he had to assume that the villagers were using those weird crystals his team and others had run across previously.

"_Sergeant Graves,_" Private Smith called out, "_Radar's picking up more of those patrol craft. We might need to bug out soon to avoid detection._"

"Acknowledged. We'll observe for a few more minutes," Graves replied, keeping his attention focused on the village in the hopes that he could at least see what they looked like. The most he could see was that they were bipedal and roughly humanoid in shape, but that was just through their silhouettes. He couldn't make out much more about them from that.

"_Wait, wait, hold on. Someone's coming out,_" Jones called out, looking through the scope of his sniper rifle. True enough, Graves saw through his helmet's magnification one of the doors of a guard tower open. His team's attention was focused squarely on it, their feeds being recorded and beamed up to the _Everest_ along with all other data they were acquiring. When the figure stepped into view, however, Graves felt his jaw go slack.

"_Is that a goddamn human_?" someone asked, Graves couldn't tell who because he was focusing everything on the being. It was a male covered in white armor with yellow highlights along the helmet, shoulders, collar and arms. A round helmet covered his head, only the mouth being exposed through which he could see white skin. In his five-fingered hands was a boxy rifle, which the apparent human was holding at alert carry, ready to raise it up and fire at a moment's notice. Every fiber of Grave's being was screaming at him that he was seeing things as the guard patrolled across the top of the wall to the next tower, only for it to open and expose another native. This one wasn't wearing a helmet, merely a cap that exposed a head covered in hair. There was no questioning it now.

"_Everest_, be advised! Humans are on the planet! I repeat, human beings are on the planet!"

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! I hope you're all being safe. Here's the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes! Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for their help in bringing this story to life.

The UNSC are now on the planet, and as you can imagine, things are both very confusing to them as well as concerning. Humans, Dust, and most importantly, the Grimm Things are about to go down next chapter, you'll just have to wait and see what exactly happens.

Now, for the Q&A"

**TOManm: **I'm glad you like the story, and you are correct. My choice to set the contact so far back in RWBY canon allows me to play with the RWBY side of the crossover more than it would had it been around, say, Volume 1. I can do those conversations, make believable changes, etc. My creativity has more room by starting so far back. As for why the UNSC sent a ground force for recon and not drones, the problem is that they just exited a battle against the Covenant. Much of their ability to do what you said was severely diminished. Think of it as before the battle, they had the equivalent of unmanned drones to do recon, but now they're all destroyed. Coupled with lack of proper translation and a bit of a hasty arrival on their part, not to mention their outlook being a bit jaded, they felt the best option was to send a ground team before attempting to communicate. It was an overabundance of caution that caused their actions. As for HEV pods, originally that was the plan, then it got pointed out that they'd still need to get off the planet and HEV pods are for inserting behind enemy lines, not really recon, so it was best to send them down in Pelicans.

**Shadowstorm-Vash:** I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much! Happy to have you with us!

**Mkchief34:** I do have plans for Alpha-9 and Buck. In fact, had the timeline allowed for it, I would have had Buck take the place of Sergeant Graves. However, Buck wasn't an ODST until at least 2545, and Graves was a canon character who was an ODST since the beginning of the war. As for landing on Remnant, you'll have to see. For now, expect a lot of dropships like Pelicans and Albatrosses.

**Guest Isa: **Yeah, not the best first contact, but as you said, where's the fun in that? At the very least, Remnant's getting a better first contact than their counterparts did. For as bad as the UNSC and ONI can be at times, the Covenant is infinitely worse. There will be butterfly effects, obviously. You'll just have to wait and see what they are.

**BanzEye: **Don't worry, I'm not dead. It may take me a while to update my stories, but I have 4 writing projects at the moment. As such, it takes me a while to get a chapter done for each. As for Johnson, no. He is not on the Everest.

**Dragon lord Syed101:** The problem with Summer is that we know so little about her character. I try to stay as canon compliant as possible, and until we know more about Summer as a person, I don't want to write her only to found out that my interpretation is completely off. It's the same reason why I only had Jaune interact with Saphron, his only named family member. I don't want to name or characterize his sisters, only to find out that they're completely different. That being said, there obviously will be canon divergences. With a crossover fusion like this, it's to be expected to help ensure everything meshes appropriately, as well as allow my creativity regarding the fused setting to run wild.

**Steelrain66: **Yep, things are about to go down. You'll just have to wait and see what exactly that entails.

That's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy!


	6. Darkness Falls

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 5: Darkness Falls**

[~][~]

_Continent Alpha Forest, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 22:07 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

John-117 could hardly believe his eyes. Just a few minutes ago, the _Everest_ had reported that human beings were apparently spotted on the planet. Human beings that, by all accounts, appeared to be the native inhabitants. He and the rest of his team didn't believe it, instead feeling that the ODST team in the Continent Beta tundra had simply been seeing things. But then other teams across the world reported the same thing, some even reporting humans that for whatever reason had animal traits grafted onto them in a way that didn't seem like accessories. Others reported ancient stone structures and ruins that were thousands of years old, telling them that these people were here for a very long time. Then, as his team carefully went up the road in pursuit of the survivors they were following, they came across an intact body. It was shredded and heavily battered and broken, but it was still recognizable. Two arms that ended in five-fingered hands, one opposable thumb each, two legs with feet that had five toes. The face had two eyes, a small nose in the center above a pair of lips and closed jaw, complete with an omnivorous set of teeth. Outside of a small amount of body hair that they could see on the being's arms, which appeared to be male, only the head sported any significant hair growth.

There was no mistaking it now. This was a human being, likely thirty years of age, at least.

"So, what? Is this a lost colony? Insurrectionist outpost?" Hernandez asked, keeping an eye on their surroundings in case any other of those highly aggressive fauna appeared.

"It has to be. I mean, what other options are there?" Williams remarked, doing the same thing as his squad mate.

"Then how come we can't understand their language?" Bisset pointed out, taking DNA samples of the body. Part of her felt as though she was desecrating the dead, but if there was anything she had learned during the war, it was that appearances could be deceiving. To many, Grunts were nothing more than untrained cowards that fled from danger whenever it reared its head, yet they could be just as deadly as an Elite in the right circumstances. She'd even seen a Grunt pretend to surrender, only to pull out a pair of plasma grenades and turn itself into an impromptu suicide bomber. As such, while the body more than certainly appeared to be human, until they got DNA confirmation she wasn't going to make any assumptions.

"I don't know. Maybe they made it up?"

"While that is a possibility, I don't think so," Chief replied, kneeling next to the body and keeping his weapon close to his chest. "Human languages all spring from a root language. Greek, Latin, Chinese, Sanskrit, and so on. Even if they created a brand new language wholly unique to this planet, elements of other languages would inevitably appear. That didn't happen, otherwise Hannibal would've caught it by now. Which tells me that whatever languages these people speak, they didn't evolve from languages on Earth."

"Wait, are you saying that these people might've actually _developed_ here? As in, actual human aliens?" Schmidt asked, not quite believing the SPARTAN-II. In response, the Master Chief shrugged.

"It is a distinct possibility, although I personally doubt it."

"Then what _do_ you think caused humans to show up here?"

"I can think of two options. One, this was a lost colony during the early days of human space exploration and colonization. Slipspace travel was notoriously unreliable in those early years, and we lost several colony ships because of it. It's possible one or more might've ended up here, and over the centuries they developed their own distinct culture and technology base due to being cut off from Earth's supplies."

"That doesn't explain why we can't understand them," Li pointed out, referring to John's own statement on the subject. John nodded, then continued.

"The other, more disturbing option, is that at some point in humanity's history, individuals were taken from Earth and transferred onto this planet. Do it early enough, they could go on a completely different trajectory than our own, thus making them alien in all but name."

The ODSTs were silent as they thought over Master Chief's suggestions. Finally, Hernandez said, "So, these people are either lost colonists from the extremely early days of space exploration, or were brought here because of ancient alien bullshit?"

"Yes," Chief succinctly replied. A heavy silence fell over the group, each asking a million questions in their heads but none willing to voice them, then the Master Chief stood up and pointed his submachinegun down the dirt road.

"Let's move out," he ordered, taking back control of the situation and briskly jogging away. The ODSTs were snapped out of their stupor and jogged after him, Schmidt noticeably lagging behind due to his injuries. They all made sure to stay near him, however, and at the same time kept a close eye on their motion trackers. Six yellow dots representing their squadmates were occasionally joined by smaller white dots, denoting various wildlife that scurried around them.

Normally, they would leave it at that, however their motion tracker wasn't attuned to specify individual species. It only marked when something moved, not whether it was a soldier, a wolf, a bird, or one of those werewolves, with only the relative sizes of the dots to distinguish them. The only reason why the ODSTs were showing up as yellow dots was because of their neural interfaces syncing with the motion trackers, which itself was a very recent on-the-field adjustment. As with the Covenant, the UNSC would have to come into further contact with those beasts, that way they could tune their motion trackers to differentiate them from other wildlife and have them show up as red dots. The Master Chief just hoped they would be able to do that without significant casualties, but until then, every white dot brought weapons to bear.

The soldiers carefully continued their trek down the road, coming across more and more evidence of survivors. Frantic, clustered footsteps. Discarded weapons and spent bullet casings. Even the occasional body, along with ample evidence of the planet's extremely hostile fauna being responsible for the devastation. To Chief's disgust, several of the victims sported signs of bite wounds that indicated nothing less than them being eaten alive. He forced himself to move past that, however.

"Hold up, I see something," Bisset called out, coming to a halt on top of a tree-covered hill. The team stopped immediately and went prone, crawling over to her position to have a look. There, on the road was a group of survivors numbering no more than thirty. Men, women and children, all of different ages and apparent ethnicities, and they were being funneled into a walled village by a pair of lightly-armed guards.

"Does that lady have bunny ears?" Hernandez asked, his voice filled with confusion. True to the ODST's word, one of the women in the group sported a pair of brown rabbit-like ears on top of her head. Another, possibly her husband judging by how close they were keeping to each other, had deer-like antlers on top of his head. A few of the humans were shooting the animal-people cross, almost hateful looks. It reminded John of some of the looks Inner Colony residents gave to Outer Colony refugees.

"Discrimination?" Schmidt asked.

"Possibly. We don't know for certain," Chief said. "Keep an eye out for those werewolves. There might be more."

"Yes sir," the ODSTs replied in unison. Silently, they watched the village, recording everything their helmet cams could pick up. Thanks to their built-in magnification, they were able to better see what the apparent humans looked like, and with each passing second Chief and the ODSTs were more and more convinced that they were, indeed, human. Their faces, posture, the way they verbally spoke to one another if the flapping of their lips were anything to go by. More importantly, they could see that these people were afraid. A handful of lightly-armed guardsmen were standing on top of the wall, searching for any sign of hostilities. Given what they had seen of the monsters that plagued this planet, they had every right to be cautious.

"Contact! Fifty meters!" Li called out, pointing with his M7-S towards the tree line on the opposite side of the road. True to his word, they saw shadowy figures vaguely shaped like animals rushing towards the village walls, only this time the creatures weren't just the werewolves. This time, they were joined by a variety of other monsters in varying shapes and sizes. Some looked like large bears covered in bony spikes, others like boars with curved tusks that dug into the ground. There were also strange, bipedal dinosaur-like creatures that none of them could quite pin down. All of them were unnerving though, especially with how they zeroed in on the village with wide, open maws and their blazing red eyes boring into anyone they saw.

Immediately, the village guards rang an alarm and began firing their weapons at the creatures. As they expected, the weapons used were far from military grade. Single shot rifles and shotguns rang out into the night, trying to cut down as many of the monsters as they could. They were joined by more rudimentary bows and crossbows, and some even grabbed large polearms to stab into the creatures as they tried to climb their defenses.

Master Chief and the ODSTs, however, focused their attention on what the creatures were doing. Their numbers were staggering, numbering at least thirty, yet what was most unnerving was how unnatural they were acting. Animals coming into conflict with humans was nothing new, both on Earth and their many colonies, but those were disputes born from humans infringing on their territory or young. Other times it happened due to a lack of food, and while there were cases of wild animals attacking humans for seemingly no reason, those were rare.

But those attacks weren't done mindlessly. Predators, as all these creatures seemed to be, operated on similar instincts no matter which planet they came from. They didn't besiege a position, nor did they continue an attack long after it became apparent that they stood more to lose by attacking than retreating. If you're attacked by a pack of wolves and you put down a few in self-defense, the rest will usually get the message and back off.

These creatures weren't doing that. Despite the number of them that were being put down, albeit with great difficulty by the defenders, they kept coming. They were throwing themselves head on into the fortifications, not caring about any of the wounds or injuries they were receiving. It was as though they didn't care and all they wanted was for the people hiding behind those walls to die. In some ways, it reminded John of the Covenant. No matter how many of their soldiers or ships they destroyed, they kept attacking humanity, seeking nothing more than their utter destruction.

"Jesus Christ…" Li muttered under his breath, watching as the village defenses started to visibly show their wear and tear. Cracks and dents were beginning to form on the wall, which seemed to embolden the creatures as they redoubled their efforts.

"They're going to die," Bisset whispered in horror as the villagers' screams grew even louder.

"We're not just going to watch this shit, are we?!" Williams angrily shouted, his body shaking.

"Our orders are to observe, not interfere," Schmidt replied, although his tone of voice betrayed that he, too, was unsure of what to do.

"Bullshit! Those people are human!"

"We don't know that for certain."

"Well, I'm certain! Just as certain that I became an ODST to protect people, not to sit back and watch them get eaten by monsters!"

Schmidt said nothing, but John could tell through his subtle body language that, deep down, the ODST agreed with his comrade-in-arms. So did the others, and although John didn't show it, he agreed. His hands clutched his weapon tightly, and his eyes narrowed into a cool rage. Then, as the wall threatened to break, a particularly large bear that the ODSTs had dubbed a 'werebear' slammed into a section of the wall that a guardsman was standing on top of. He lost his balance, and with a short yelp he fell off the wall and onto the ground. Immediately he was swarmed by the creatures, and his screams were cut short as they tore him apart. Claws and razor sharp teeth shredded the man, and the ODSTs could only watch in utter horror.

At the same time, Chief's mind stilled and his thoughts drifted back to his many engagements on human colony worlds. Worlds that had been assaulted by the Covenant. Most of the time, the aliens slaughtered whoever they found through a plasma gun or sword, including orbital bombardment. But sometimes, a particularly cruel fate awaited people who were captured by the Covenant. He had seen the remains of victims who were thrown to half-starved Grunts and Jackals, as well as what the Brutes liked to do to their captives. Even the rest of the Covenant seemed disturbed by what the Brutes did, and right now as he watched the creatures eat the man alive along with a few other unfortunate souls, he was reminded of that chilling fact.

He looked at Sergeant Li, who was already staring at him through his polarized visor. A silent conversation ensued between them, one that only leaders could share. Then, after a moment, both men nodded and turned back to the slaughter. Li holstered his submachine gun to his hip in favor of the sniper rifle strapped to his back, and flicked the safety off.

"Prepare to engage." There was no hesitation from the soldiers at the Chief's solemn command, all of them immediately acquiring targets. As far as the Master Chief was concerned, they had their orders from Admiral Cole to not be seen. But, as a soldier under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Space Command, there was another standing order that they had to abide by. One that they could follow in concert with Cole's command.

"Open fire," Master Chief ordered right before the Sergeant aimed his sniper rifle at a werewolf that had just scaled the wall. It was about to swing its mighty claws into a woman when a single shot rang out and pierced its eye. It staggered for a moment, then fell off the wall and turned into a cloud of dust. As the village defenders looked around to find where the shot came from, the monsters did the same, but before any of them could press the attack, the Master Chief and the rest of the ODSTs opened fire with their submachineguns in short, controlled bursts.

* * *

_Continent Charlie Lake, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 22:10 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

"This is Sierra-058! Lieutenant Gamal is down and we are under attack by hostile fauna! In need of immediate extraction!" Linda yelled into her comms as she aimed her sniper rifle at yet another of the massive wasps that had been assaulting them. She fired two shots into its thorax, the 14.5x114mm rounds tearing it apart into a spatter of black ichor and white bone-like chitin. The wasp disintegrated into dust immediately after, but Linda was already moving to her next target and firing again.

The entire mission had officially gone FUBAR. Just a few minutes ago, Linda and Lieutenant Gamal were discussing where to go next when the buzzing from the floating islands reappeared. This time, not only did the rest of the ODSTs hear it too, it was joined by a chorus of reverberating wingbeats. Their motion trackers lit up with numerous white dots, each the size of a human, and it was then that they saw it. The source of the buzzing came from a wasp that was several times larger than the largest Drone Linda had ever seen. Its body black with white bone-like chitin covering it like armor plates, and a pair of red compound eyes stared at them with what could only be described as pure hate. Three sets of legs extended downward from the sides, and two pairs of red wings flittered from its back. To complete the intimidating display, the wasp clacked its massive mandibles threateningly, and immediately the soldiers realized they were not welcome.

Then more of the wasps showed themselves, and just as Gamal gave the order to fall back, one of them fired its stinger from its abdomen into Gamal's gut. It pierced the ceramic-titanium composite plates like it was nothing more than paper, then pulled it and the unfortunate ODST back towards it with an organic tether attached to the stinger. Linda immediately fired her SRS99 at the wasp as the ODSTs got over their shock, but Gamal was already gone by the time his lifeless body hit the ground as the creature dissolved. After that, the rest of the wasps swarmed them, meeting the gunfire head on.

"Jesus Christ!" Private Beck cursed as he slapped a fresh magazine into his submachinegun, firing at an oncoming wasp as it dived towards him, fully intending to grab hold of him with its legs. The M443 FJL rounds instead popped its head like a balloon, allowing Beck to continue his retreat along with the rest of their men. Her men, Linda mused as she was officially the most senior of them at the moment.

Another wasp reared up, obviously intending to fire its harpoon stinger at them, but Linda wasn't about to give it the chance as she fired a shot into its head. The body fell to the ground and disintegrated into dust, and she continued to fire the rest of her magazine at any targets she could acquire. She fired four shots before reloading, and four of the wasps simply ceased to exist.

It wasn't enough, however, and Linda knew it as yet more of the wasps emerged to give chase. Swapping her empty magazine for a fresh one, she barked at Jameson who was taking cover from behind a thick tree.

"Jameson, fire a grenade into that cluster!" she ordered, taking down four more of the wasps as they tried to swoop down on her.

"Yes, sir!" Jameson replied, pulling out a M319 Grenade Launcher and firing a parabolic 40mm grenade. The wasps flew around it, but Jameson merely released his hold on the trigger to allow the primed explosive to detonate. A ball of fire and shrapnel pierced the insects, shredding their wings and causing them to fall to the ground with heavy thuds. This made them easy targets for Privates Beck, Anderson, and Foley to finish them off, while Linda focused on the still flying yet clearly disoriented wasps above them. She fired a full magazine into them to finish them off, then pulled out a M9 fragmentation grenade to hurl into a wasp. The grenade emitted a smoke trail as it soared towards the wasp, striking its head with enough force to send it rearing back. At the same time, the grenade was lodged in its mandibles, and it promptly exploded with enough force to kill both it and a few other wasps that were in its immediate area.

"Fall back!" Linda ordered, covering her men as they retreated further from the swarm. They would run a few yards then turn around to fire their submachineguns at the seemingly innumerable creatures, which Linda noticed with alarm kept coming after them no matter how many they felled.

"What the hell are these things?!" Foley yelled, sidestepping a swooping wasp as it came for him.

"Demon Drones from Hell!" Anderson guessed, diving behind a rock to avoid a harpoon stinger. As it was pulled back, Anderson broke cover to fire his entire magazine into it, shredding the chitin and killing the creature.

"Goddammit! Two mags left!" Anderson shouted as he retreated to the LZ. As Linda put down a few more, she noticed that the rest of the team was also running low on ammo. Only her sniper rifle was strong enough to kill them with only one shot, but even then she had to aim for the head or upper thorax. Otherwise, even with half of its body missing, it wouldn't care and kept trying to kill them, faster if anything else without the extra weight.

"We should've swapped the M7s for MA5s," she said just as she fired the last round in her magazine. As she reached to reload, from the corner of her eye she saw a wasp fire a harpoon stinger straight at her. The world seemed to slow down as her body reacted. Years of training and experience, compounded by her extensive augmentations caused her to undergo what she and the other SPARTANs affectionately referred to as 'Spartan Time.' She sidestepped the harpoon-stinger completely, causing it to embed itself into the dirt harmlessly, but instead of backing off she grabbed the organic tether with both of her hands. She yanked the creature towards her, which wasn't expecting such a quick response and so barely put up a fight. Linda then clotheslined the wasp, causing it to flip in the air and land on its back, where she finished it off with a stomp to the head.

"Juliet 115, we are in desperate need of extraction," Linda called out as she picked her sniper rifle back up, reloaded it, and fired at another wasp as it flew down towards her. It crashed to the ground with half of its head missing, and Linda was already aiming at her next target when a bright spotlight illuminated the swarm. The D77 Pelican opened fire with its M370 autocannon, shredding the wasps as the 70mm depleted uranium rounds tore through their defenses as though they weren't even there. They were followed by a salvo of missiles, causing what remained of the swarm to evaporate into a cloud of dust.

"Come on, we gotta get outta here!" the copilot yelled out as the Pelican turned around and opened its aft bay doors. She was manning a mounted M247 machine gun, aimed outward as they saw more of the wasps emerge.

"Dear God, how many of these things are there?!" Beck yelled as he climbed aboard. Linda didn't answer, instead firing her sniper rifle until she only had one magazine left and the rest of the team was aboard. Then she turned around and climbed into the troop bay, the copilot covering her with a hail of gunfire from the mounted turret.

"Go, now!" Linda ordered, choosing to remain standing to instead face the creatures while clutching a handle and aiming her sniper rifle from the hip. Not having the time to reply nor close the aft doors, the pilot throttled the engine as hard as he could, causing the Pelican to lift off.

"Shit!" the pilot cursed as their flight was cut off by another swarm. The dropship veered sharply to the left, momentarily throwing the soldiers off balance. The copilot was nearly thrown from the tactical aerospace lifter, but Linda was able grab hold of her and keep her in place.

Flying as fast as it could, and with both the nose-mounted autocannon and the mounted turret on the back firing non-stop, the Pelican flew across the treetops. The swarm, which seemed to grow ever larger by the second, was surrounding them now, throwing themselves against the Pelican and even firing their harpoon stingers into its hull. The Pelican's thick armor plating was strong enough to prevent actual hull punctures, luckily, but each impact was creating noticeable dents and rattling a craft designed to deal with anti-aircraft fire and atmospheric reentry.

Linda, having resupplied herself with the Pelican's spare ammo stores, fired over the copilot's head. She was joined by Jameson firing his M319 out the back, firing grenade after grenade at the wasps. At the same time, Linda's mind raced to try and find a way out of this life-threatening situation. Then, she spotted the floating islands covered in the highly volatile crystals they had stored in the Pelican, and an idea sprang to mind.

"Troopers, grab the crystals and start tossing them out! Pilot, take us back to the islands!" she ordered.

"What?! But that's-!" he protested, but Linda interrupted him.

"I know, but if we get enough of them close to those crystals, we can take them all out at once!"

"Yes, sir," the pilot replied, clearly not happy with the order but complying regardless. The ODSTs, however, caught on to Linda's plan much more quickly, and they were already hauling the crates of crystals to her.

"Throw when I say!" Linda shouted, firing her weapon and downing several of the wasps. Jameson nodded, holding the first gingerly as though it were a newborn. When Linda reloaded, she shouted, "Toss!"

Without missing a beat, Jameson threw the crate as hard as he could. The wasps paid it no heed, but Linda was already aiming and fired a single shot into it. As she expected, it exploded with gravitational force, both pushing the Pelican forward as well as scattering the wasps while killing many.

"Toss!" Linda ordered. Jameson tossed another. This time, the wasps tried to avoid it, but Linda fired again. To her surprise, the crate exploded into a cloud of blue gas that her helmet picked up to be at a temperature of negative 210 degrees Celsius. Any wasps caught in the blast radius was frozen solid, causing them to fall to the ground and shatter into countless pieces.

"Oh my God, we had that on board," an ODST muttered as he handed over the third and final crate. The Pelican, meanwhile, neared the floating islands, and judging by the increasingly evasive maneuvers the pilot was doing, there were many wasps trying to down them. Linda figured that they must've landed near their nest, but their aggressive behavior went far beyond mere protection of territory. It was something else entirely, and it got a soldier killed.

"Toss!" she once again ordered. Jameson tossed the last crate out, with the wasps again moving to evade. Anticipating this, Linda fired much more quickly, causing the crate to explode into a ball of fire. Her helmet picked it up at 2,800 degrees Celsius, and the flaming bodies of the wasps fell into the water below.

She was down to one round now, and they were deep in the heart of the wasps' domain. Nearly every square meter was occupied by a wasp, however she was focusing not on them, but on the crystals protruding from the floating islands that surrounded them. Most were the purple giants visible from shore, and she thought about shooting one of them, but then she estimated the sheer size of the blast that could result from the massive formation, let alone the devastation if a chain-reaction were triggered, and wisely stayed her hand. Instead, she peeled her eyes for smaller crystals separated from their enormous neighbors by a hefty buffer of stone.

Finally, nestled in between a scattering of deep blue crystals, Linda saw a lone spot of red. It couldn't have been larger than her closed fist, and trying to hit it while flying at top speed and avoiding all of the wasps would be difficult. But she didn't despair. Instead, she calmly leveled her rifle, took a deep breath, and after a moment there was a gap that existed for only a split second. It was all she needed, and she fired.

The round flew through the air, slipping between the wasps by a hair's breadth to strike directly against the red crystal. It briefly shone brilliantly, then exploded into a ball of fire. The force resonated with the surrounding crystals, and after a brief glimmer of light they followed suit. Linda tensed as the Pelican, and more importantly the wasps, were thrown astray as ripples shook the air, but thankfully the reaction did not continue to consume everything. Rocks and fire and _water_ ejected from the collapsing cliff face, but while the Pelican was able to recover and stay ahead of the deluge, the wasps were left tumbling in their wake. They were burnt, crushed, and finally swept out of the sky entirely by the impromptu rockslide and waterfall. The combination of elements that Linda unleashed simply erased the entire horde like God's own fly swatter, and they'd be next if they didn't get out of the aerial ravine.

"Go, go!" she yelled, seeing an opening. The pilot, not needing to be told twice, flew through the gap and left the floating islands behind. A few of the wasps that survived at the back of the pack tried to give chase, but the Pelican was too far gone and rapidly climbing in elevation. There was no hope of them catching up, and so they stopped and angrily fluttered in place.

It was then that, from the dust cloud that formed from the explosion, Linda saw something else emerge. To the ODSTs' audible horror, it was yet another of the wasps, only this one was the size of their Pelican. Perhaps larger. It glared at them, then audibly sent a spine-tingling screech in their general direction just as the aft bay door finally closed.

"That must've been the queen," Linda noted, flicking the safety back on and holstering her sniper rifle onto her back.

"No kidding," Beck muttered. "Thank God we didn't fight that…"

Linda nodded, then turned around to face the ODSTs. Their helmets were now depolarized, their expressions frozen and wracked with exhaustion. Soon however, as the adrenaline died down, they couldn't help but notice that they were short one man, and their faces fell. Linda felt tempted to remain silent, feeling that this wasn't her squad, but as the ODSTs one by one looked at her, she felt compelled to speak.

"I only knew Lieutenant Gamal for a short time," she said in a quiet, respectful tone, "but he was a good soldier, and I was honored to fight alongside him."

The other ODSTs nodded in agreement, but didn't say a word otherwise. The copilot, feeling the remorseful atmosphere, silently went back to the cockpit, leaving Linda alone with the sorrowful soldiers to grieve.

* * *

_Continent Alpha Desert, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 22:30 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

"Ramirez! If we make it through this, I'm going to kick your ass for jinxing us!" Sergeant Gonzalez yelled at the top of his lungs as he and the rest of the soldiers sprinted across the sand.

"Why is this _my _fault?!" Private Ramirez replied, firing from behind his back while continuing to run.

"You talked about giant worms! Well, _we got a giant freaking worm on our asses_!" Gonzalez yelled. From behind them, the aforementioned giant worm was slinking through the sand, its massive maw swallowing everything in its path.

"Where does the mouth end and the face begin?!" Hicks shouted, tossing a few grenades behind him that exploded inside the worm's gullet. If it did anything, the creature didn't show it, continuing its advance towards the soldiers.

"I think it's all mouth, corporal," Fred pointed out, swapping to his rocket launcher and priming its tubes.

They had been running from the worm for the past ten minutes, roughly. Fred and the rest of his soldiers were observing a village centered around an oasis. The villagers, much to their surprise, were human. Some had animal parts, and as reports came in from around the planet, it was pretty much confirmed that these people were, in fact, human. After that discovery, which Fred knew the scientists at ONI would pore over as soon as they got word of it, they remained hidden among some rocks and kept observing. At first, everything was calm, although the villagers were understandably nervous.

That nervousness turned into outright terror when the sand erupted. At first, Fred thought a sinkhole had suddenly opened up. According to their scans, much of the sand laid over layers of limestone and other porous rocks. Get enough rain, and a sinkhole could easily open up and swallow everything around it with absolutely no warning. Instead of a sinkhole, however, a large black mass rose out of the sand. Fred's MJOLNIR measured it at nearly thirty meters in height, its worm-like body covered in white, bony plates of armor that had red streaks running down its side. Its head opened to reveal a massive gaping maw lined with razor sharp teeth, the inside of which was pitch black. A single red eye filled with what could only be described as hatred stared at the village as the monstrous worm roared. The sound was bone-chilling, and a fearful wail erupted from the village as it prepared to attack.

Almost immediately, Fred came to several conclusions. One, those villagers were human. Two, as a soldier of the UNSC, he was sworn to protect humans. Three, that worm was a threat to those humans, and if no one intervened they would all die. Four, he _was_ in a position to intervene. As such, it wasn't hard for him to make the decision to come to the village's aid, and he had his team open fire from their position.

The tactic had worked, drawing the worm away from the village as the UNSC soldiers hastily retreated. Unfortunately, the size of the creature disguised how fast it was, and the marines were doing everything they could to simply keep ahead of it.

"Claudius 221, we need immediate air support! Danger close!" Fred yelled into TEAMCOMM as he and the ODSTs leaped off of a rock outcropping. They landed with a roll, dropping a grenade each and continuing their retreat. A moment later, the worm burst through the rock, swallowing the grenades which exploded inside of its mouth. Once again, it did nothing, only now the soldiers were running out of grenades. The SPNKR might be able to put a dent in it, but Fred wasn't confident enough in his ability to fire it while retreating.

Then, much to his surprise, the worm stopped momentarily to spit a glob of a sticky, green substance towards them. Fred was able to pull himself and another ODST out of harm's way as the glob harmlessly struck the hot desert sand, then it began to fizzle and smoke.

"That thing spits _acid_?!" Satou yelled.

"Apparently!" Fred replied, picking the sergeant up and running ahead at full speed. The other ODSTs continued to do the same, and they were doing all they could to keep moving.

Unfortunately, he might not have a choice soon. The ODSTs were running out of steam, and soon they'd start to slow. If they did that, the worm would surely kill them all, and so Fred stopped, turn on a dime, and aimed his rocket launcher at the center of the worm's mouth. He pulled the trigger once, shooting a single M19 102mm surface-to-surface missile that collided with the roof of the worm's mouth. Unlike the grenades, this explosive got it to react and it reared upward with a roar a pain.

"Go, go!" Fred yelled, turning back around to sprint ahead. He quickly closed the distance and passed the ODSTs, once again entering the front of the pack and nearing the butte that their Pelican had landed on. It was already hovering in place, and as soon as the creature entered range, the dropship fired its nose-mounted autocannon and unleashed a salvo of missiles at the same time. The ordinance struck, covering the worm in a thick cloud of dust that obscured it from view.

"Let 'em have it!" Fred ordered, firing his second rocket. The ODSTs fired their weapons into the dark cloud as Fred stowed away the spent weapon, pulling out his M7-S and adding his bullets to theirs. A cacophony of gunfire filled the air, and only when everyone's weapons clicked empty did it cease. They stepped backward a few paces, reloading their weapons and keeping them trained on the slowly dissipating cloud.

"Oh, thank God," Ramirez said as the cloud gave way to reveal that the upper body of the worm was completely gone, having exploded from all the force sent upon it. The soldiers let out a cheer, and even Fred couldn't help but smile.

Then the back half of the worm rose out of the sand, turning around to stare at them with pure anger and revealing yet another mouth.

"Oh that's bullshit, man!" Corporal Abbad shouted as the soldiers resumed firing. This time, the worm burrowed under the ground, the bullets harmlessly striking the sand as it disappeared from sight. For a moment, Fred thought about continuing the attack, but he quickly thought better of it and hastily motioned for the Pelican to hover overhead.

"Claudius, drop a line! Marines, latch on! We are leaving!" Fred yelled, waving his arm wildly while sweeping his head for any signs of movement.

"_Acknowledged, Sierra-104,_" the pilot replied, opening the back doors and dropping a thick, self-guided cord out towards the ODSTs. The soldiers quickly latched on, and the Pelican flew away as fast as it could. Its momentum carried them forward, the copilot reeling them in as Fred continued to search for any sign of it.

"Where is it?!" Gonzales shouted, dangling in mid-air with the cord continuing to draw them in.

"I don't see it!" Satou replied just as the first of the ODSTs entered the troop bay.

"Negative on my end, too!" Ramirez added. One by one, the other ODSTs responded the same way just as they were finally pulled in. Fred was the last, and only when the doors closed did he allow himself to react.

"_Hold up, I see something. Hundred meters, westbound,_' Claudius 221 called out. Fred shot his gaze towards the cockpit and walked over, where he saw a massive dust cloud form around the second head of the worm. It roared angrily in their direction, but they were too far away for it to do anything to them.

"What are we going to do, sir?" Sergeant Gonzalez asked, looking up at Fred's expressionless golden visor. Fred, meanwhile, continued to think, then gestured for the Pelican to move forward.

"Leave it. Would rather we save the ammo," Fred said. No sooner had the words left his mouth when the worm roared one last time, then it sunk back beneath the sand.

"Tracking… It's gone, sir. Can't see it on my sensors," the pilot revealed. Fred, his brow furrowed, nodded, then returned back to the troop bay. The copilot moved to the side, allowing the bulky SPARTAN the space he needed to maneuver, then the copilot entered the cockpit and closed the door behind him. Fred stat down on one of the available benches and coughed, then turned to look at the ODSTs.

"Well, that's not something you see every day," he said, earning a slight chuckle from the soldiers. As the Pelican rapidly accelerated and ascended through the atmosphere, Fred couldn't help but think about how lucky they were. They managed to complete their mission without any casualties, despite being attacked by an enemy they knew nothing about. And if what he suspected was true, he doubted the other teams were so lucky.

'_Wonder if John's luck rubbed off on me today,_' he thought, then he turned his head back towards his men. They looked back through their depolarized visors, and he nodded approvingly.

"Well, I'd have to say that was a pretty successful mission. When we get back, drinks are on me," he offered, and at once the ODSTs cheered in approval. Of course, the only drinks they'd be able to get was filtered water, but after running for their lives through a god forsaken desert, that sounded like a sweeter prize than any liquor to them.

* * *

_Continent Epsilon Southern Coastline, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 22:40 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

Kelly was hurled into the wooden shack, shattering it into thousands of splinters and sending the sheet metal roof falling to the ground. Her shotgun, firing a shot wildly into the air, flew out of her hands and bounded along the floor, stopping its momentum near the front door. The inhabitants screamed in fright, huddling close to each other as the father, Kelly assumed, placed himself in front of his family in order to protect them. She otherwise paid them no heed, however, as she instead focused on the massive black crocodile that had attacked her.

Calling it a crocodile was more than a stretch, Kelly admitted, although it was the closest thing she could think of. It had the general shape of a crocodilian, but instead of a body covered in brown or green scales, it was pitch black. Only white osteoderms broke up the monotony, lining up and down the back and shoulders like pieces of armor. She knew that was the case, as quite a few had noticeable bullet holes bored into them. Its tail was covered in four blade-like thagomizers, and red lines trailed down the face, tail, and shoulders that only served to highlight the yellow eyes. Eyes that distinctly lacked any pupils at all, which was admittedly unnerving to look at.

The crocodile hissed and tried to snap Kelly up in its jaws, but she leaped away, making sure to place herself between it and the terrified family of humans. When it tried to attack again, Kelly cupped her fists together and slammed them atop its head, dazing it. She then leaped on top of its head, using all of her immense strength to keep the mouth closed by wrapping her entire left arm around its snout. With her free hand, she pulled out her M6S and emptied the entire magazine straight between its eyes. Rather than kill it, the crocodile hissed and thrashed before it suddenly rolled violently to the side. It clearly hoped to knock Kelly free, but she kept her grip, continuing to fire every bullet she had until the gun clicked empty. Undeterred, she threw the weapon to the side and unsheathed her knife, then began repeatedly stabbing it into the open wound on the animal's forehead. Black ichor spewed in every direction, and she only stopped when it finally stopped rolling. Its back was facing the ground, pinning her underneath it before it evaporated into black smoke.

Without missing a beat, Kelly kipped-up onto her feet, her knife's blade pointed out as she swiveled around for any signs of movement. Around her, the yellow dots of her squadmates went in and out as they finished off the other two creatures that had attacked them. Seeing that the coast was relatively clear, Kelly allowed herself to let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. It was then that a spark of pain traveled up her chest, and she hissed before feeling around.

'_Yep. Definitely a broken rib. Probably more,_' she thought, trying not to agitate it. Her legs throbbed, and another wince escaped her before she heard the racking of a shotgun. Slowly, Kelly turned around to look at the terrified family, the father having picked up the weapon as she was fighting the crocodile. His eyes were wide, and the mother and child were cowering behind him as he shakily aimed the shotgun towards her.

Not willing to take the chance, Kelly rushed towards the man. Time seemed to slow as his eyes went wide. Her hand grabbed the side of the barrel and pushed it up and to the side right as he accidentally pulled the trigger. The 8-gauge pellets ricocheted off her shoulder pauldrons harmlessly, then she ripped the gun from his hands and sent him recoiling back. He grabbed his wrist and winced, but otherwise has unharmed.

Kelly wondered what to do in her current situation. First there had been the sudden attack by the crocodiles, one that had killed three of the ODSTs before they even realized what had happened. Two more sustained moderate to severe injuries, which left them all in a very precarious situation that they had to get out of immediately. But, with how the fighting spilled into the village, they were in no position to extract to an emptier landing site. The Pelican had to land here, right where everyone could see them. It wasn't an ideal situation. Neither was the fact that she was standing in a shattered home in front of a terrified civilian family.

It was obvious to her that these natives were civilian, but after taking a closer look, she couldn't necessarily call them human. All of them sported animal traits that appeared grafted onto their bodies, each one different than the last. The father had a pair of bull horns poking out of the top of his head, while the wife had her ears look like that of a sheep. The child, whom Kelly assumed to be female, had her nose look like a pig's snout, creating an odd look to say the least. More pressingly, however, Kelly noticed a spot of red dripping down the child's arm, and she realized that a small shard of wood was poking out of her flesh.

Kelly quickly came to a decision. She slowly sheathed her knife back into its scabbard, clicked the safety of her M45 shotgun on and holstered it on her back, and finally walked over to grab her hastily discarded M6S and holstered it. She then slowly lowered herself to her knee, reaching behind to a hardcase on her thigh and pulling out a small canister of biofoam.

"It's okay," she soothed, holding it up for the family to see. She pointed to the wound on the child's arm and said, "I'm going to help her. Don't be alarmed."

The family clearly didn't understand her, and when Kelly gently reached for the child they recoiled back. The father shot his arm in front of his child protectively, and the child herself shivered in fear. Kelly stopped immediately, silently wondering what to do, then came up with an idea. She placed the canister on the ground, then slowly reached up to her helmet and slid it off. A hiss of air ensued, and the natives' eyes visibly widened when they saw Kelly's bruised pale face and short brown hair tied up in a bun.

"Please," she repeated, gesturing towards the daughter and picking back up the biofoam canister while leaving her helmet on the ground. "She's injured, and this can help her."

The natives looked upon her in astonishment then, slowly and with a hefty amount of suspicion, the child gently forced herself past her father's arm and walked towards the SPARTAN-II. The father reached out to stop her, but she ignored him and kept going to Kelly, eventually stopping a few paces in front of her. Tears were running down her face, both from the pain as well as the fear, then she slowly lifted her hand from her wound. Kelly was able to get a clearer look at it now, and after a few moments of study she gently grabbed the arm and held it steady. She then grabbed the debris sticking out of the girl's body and gave her a gentle look, one that the girl could easily read. She nodded, and Kelly nodded back before quickly pulling the shard out of her arm.

The girl grit her teeth and grunted, and the father prepared to come forward before Kelly grabbed the biofoam can and placed the nozzle against the wound. She squeezed the handle, and a steady stream of white, bubbly foam shot out and filled every square centimeter of the cavity. The girl hissed from the pain, but soon stopped as did the bleeding. With wide eyes, the girl looked back up at Kelly as she gave her a soft smile, gently patting her shoulder before placing her biofoam canister back into its pouch. She then grabbed her MJOLNIR helmet and slipped it back on, air hissing as the suit repressured and the HUD came back online.

With the family still staring at her in shock and awe, Kelly calmly walked out of the shattered abode, rejoining the other ODSTs who were nursing their wounds as well as gathering the bodies of the fallen. Lieutenant Sato was looking at her, nursing his arm as Corporal Sho kept the now curious townsfolk from getting nearer. The bodies of Vogel, Anderson, and Lewis laid across the sand, their bodies mangled almost beyond recognition. Several chunks were roughly bitten off, and Kelly forced herself not to stare at them as she instead scanned the horizon for their Pelican. Finally, she saw a pair of lights ascend above the canopy, accompanied by the roar of fusion engines as the dropship flew towards them.

The villagers covered their heads as sand whipped up from the engines as the Pelican slowly descended, rotating in mid-air to have its bay doors face inland while the nose faced the sea. Kelly stared at the Pelican then turned around to look at the villagers, including the family whose home she had accidentally destroyed. She focused on them in particular as Sato and Sho began carrying Anderson's body to the troop bay, but to her surprise she saw the father she had saved shoot a look towards the other bodies. He then tapped the shoulder of another, and together they walked towards Vogel's corpse and gently lifted it up as well. They carried him towards the Pelican, the surviving ODSTs shocked beyond words but immediately grateful. They helped bring Vogel aboard, and another pair of villagers helped bring Lewis' body to the others. As with Vogel and Anderson they carried her body aboard, and only then did the villagers back off. Kelly, Sato, and Sho looked at them, the ODSTs' polarized visors doing little to hide their gratitude before they finally sat down, exhaustion finally getting to them. A moment later, Kelly got in as well, and the last thing she saw before the doors closed and the Pelican flew off was the girl she helped looking up at her with a soft, grateful smile.

* * *

_Continent Beta Tundra, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 22:50 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

Sergeant Graves felt blood trickle down his brow as his shattered helmet did nothing to protect him from the biting cold. Gunfire raged all around him as he and what was left of his squad fired upon the creatures that besieged them.

Coming to the aid of the human-occupied village may have been a mistake, he admitted as he swapped mags and continued firing, his suppressor burning brightly from the constant non-stop firing. He and his men had been observing the village, preparing to leave when several species of black and white creatures suddenly attacked it. Creatures that reminded him of saber-tooth tigers and another that seemed like an unholy cross between a velociraptor and pterodactyl attacked from both the land and air, respectively. They threatened to overwhelm the village's meager defenses, and once the creatures began literally eating the defenders and a few unlucky civilians caught in their midst, Graves decided enough was enough and ordered his men to open fire. He had hoped they would be able to pick them off from range before extracting, allowing him to keep his men safe and undetected.

That was nothing more than a pipe dream, now. Most of his squad laid wounded or dying, himself included, and it wouldn't be long before the hordes overwhelmed them. Overhead, the Pelican was firing everything it had at the monsters, trying to clear enough space for the soldiers to retreat, but the creatures were just so damn _fast_, and Graves grimly felt such an opportunity had long since passed them.

"Hamlet 559…get the hell out of here…" he ordered, coughing up blood into the remains of his visor while continuing to fire.

"_No! We can still get you out!_" the pilot shouted back, continuing to fire his autocannon while dodging the aerial creatures as best he could. Unfortunately, with how many of them were latched on and gnawing away at the engines, his best wasn't proving enough.

"Like hell you can!" Graves replied, emptying the last of his current magazine and reloading while tossing a grenade. A few of the monsters were blasted apart, their corpses turning into black smoke while doing nothing to discourage the rest.

"_Dammit!_" Hamlet 559 cursed, continuing to fire despite how hopeless the situation had obviously become. He fired the last of his missiles into the horde, blasting many of them apart before a sudden explosion rocked one of his engines. He dangerously lurched to the side, causing many of the flying creatures to lose their grip and fall off, some of them getting caught in the exhaust and subsequently getting burnt to a crisp. In a testament to the pilot's skill, the autocannon aimed and fired at them while regaining control, finally creating a momentary space for it to attempt a landing.

"Sergeant, come on! We gotta get the hell outta here!" the pilot yelled into the comms at the top of his lungs, opening the bay doors where the copilot was waiting, manning the mounted turret and firing away. For a moment, Graves thought he saw a flicker of hope appear. Hope that they could somehow make it out of this. That hope was dashed when a loud shriek sounded over the desolate tundra, and he turned his head to look upon the form of the largest bird he had ever seen. Much like the rest, it was pitch black with white splotches along the body and wings, the body covered in layers of thick plumage. A bony plate sat atop its head and upper beak, forming a skull like visage that looked like the face of death itself.

"Oh, shit," the pilot said, his voice barely a whisper as the bird flapped its wings towards them, sending a hail of spear-tipped feathers the size of trees that tore into the Pelican. The last thing Graves saw was an explosion ripping through the dropship, and as the ensuing concussive force knocked him away and into a deep pile of snow, everything went black.

* * *

_Continent Alpha Forest, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 28__th__, 2540 23:10 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

John-117 ran backwards with his M7S on full auto. Beside him, his fellow soldiers retreated further into the forest, occasionally stopping to provide cover fire for their teammates. A horde of black, monstrous creatures were flailing after them, their bodies tearing into the earth with reckless, animalistic fury. He could see in their eyes that they wanted nothing more than to kill him and his men, but John didn't care about what they felt. To him, they were the enemy, and so he continued to pump rounds into their skulls before moving on to the next target.

At the same time, he was studying them like any good soldier. If the UNSC was going to be on this planet for a while, which he suspected would be the case, knowing more about these monsters was of paramount importance. His weapon was mostly ineffective against the larger and more heavily armored creatures, but most of the horde was small with only light armor. The lightly armored creatures were also far more reckless and violent, blindly going after the ODSTs with no regard to their personal safety, allowing the highly trained soldiers to put them down with little difficulty. In contrast, the larger, more heavily armored creatures stayed back while in pursuit, no doubt studying John and his men. That immediately marked an age difference to the SPARTAN-II. The younger one of these monsters was, the more reckless and weaker and thus more susceptible to firearms. As it grew older, it got smarter, stronger, and overall more dangerous. Apex predators if there ever were one.

Yet why they only went after humans remained a mystery to him. Humans, especially when compared to other animals like deer or livestock, made poor sources of nutrition. Too much bone and not enough fat or meat, not to mention how dangerous a human with a tool could be to a wild animal. It simply wasn't worth the effort for a predator to expend energy on a prey that more likely than not would result in a net calorie loss. During their retreat, they even passed a herd of deer, and the Master Chief at first thought many of them would break off for easier prey, but they didn't. The creatures kept coming after them, almost as though they exclusively preyed on humans and humans alone. With each passing moment, he became more and more convinced that these creatures were unnatural abominations, deserving only annihilation.

"_Chief, charges set!_" Hernandez yelled into the comms, waving towards his comrades from further up the line.

"Acknowledged. Continue retreat, fall back to next position," Chief replied, swapping out his mag and pulling out his M6S to dual-wield it alongside his submachinegun. He fired both weapons simultaneously at different targets, aiming for their eyes or soft flesh underneath the bone armor plating. At the same time, as the village they found disappeared from view, they saw the defenders rally and begin fending off what was left of the monsters that attacked them, and John felt a sense of satisfaction course through his veins.

He had no illusions that they would be able to destroy the entire horde, not with the weapons they had on hand. But, by providing just a little distraction and breaking off some of the aggressive creatures to instead go after them, it provided enough room for the village to fend off the rest. There would be casualties, but that was an infinitely better outcome than possibly hundreds of civilians being literally fed to the wolves. They only fired for a few minutes from their concealed location before the monsters found where they were shooting from, but by then John had already sent Hernandez and Bisset back to set up the next phase of his plan.

A phase that he and the other ODSTs quickly passed. They sprinted up and over a small wooded hill, sliding down while keeping their weapons raised towards the top. When the first of the creatures emerged, they aimed and opened fire, cutting a few down thanks to concentrated bursts to their skulls.

"Do it," the Master Chief ordered once they hit the hill's bottom. A moment later, a plume of fire and smoke exploded out of the hill from a line of half-buried C12 shaped charges. The explosion ripped the creatures apart, sending a shockwave that rippled the grass and sent some of the men stumbling off-balance. They were able to remain standing, however, and took off once again towards their extraction point.

"LZ's a click away!" Sergeant Li pointed out just as the roars picked back up. Chief looked at his motion tracker, and he saw a swarm of white dots converge towards them from multiple directions. He frowned, but kept his composure and began throwing out grenades behind him. The ODSTs, having noticed the same thing, joined the Chief by throwing grenades of their own, coupled with sporadic gunfire to thin the horde. It wasn't doing much, but it was enough to give them some relief.

"Go, I'll cover you!" Williams shouted, swapping out his SMG in favor of a grenade launcher and taking cover behind a fallen tree truck. Parabolic grenades flung out towards the monsters, exploding in their ranks as the soldiers ran past. Williams continued to fire grenade after grenade, and only when Schmidt and the Master Chief passed did he relent and get back up.

Suddenly, a large shape burst out from the underbrush to his side, pushing aside giant tress as if they were nothing more than toothpicks. The ODST turned towards it and fired one grenade, only for the projectile to bounce off its white shell and explode above it a half-second too late, leaving nothing more than a scorch mark. Chief could only watch as a large scorpion-like monstrosity ran up to Williams, who hastily attempted to roll to the side for safety. He managed to get under its snapping white pincers, but when he got back up and prepared to retreat, the scorpion thrust its tail and yellow stinger into his back. The appendage effortlessly pierced the titanium-ceramic armor, and Williams could only gurgle and futilely reach for the stinger protruding from his chest before falling limp. His vitals flatlined, and the scorpion tossed his body aside and clicked its mandibles menacingly as it advanced towards the remaining ODSTs and SPARTAN-II.

"WILLIAMS!" Li shouted, firing his SMG into its body, but the bullets harmlessly ricocheted off. In response, it snapped both of its pincers and rushed towards them with surprising speed, given its size, joined by an ever-growing sea of black that ran over Williams' body as though it wasn't even there.

John was incensed, clenching his fist tight enough to make his submachinegun's grip groan from the strain. He scowled, then pulled out his SPANKR and aimed it towards the scorpion's carapace. A single rocket shot out from the tube, which automatically rotated to prime the other before it immediately followed its twin. Both rockets slammed into the scorpion, the first cracking the shell and the second penetrating its flesh before exploding. Chunks of black meat with red insides spewed everywhere, accompanied by a rain of black ichor as the head disintegrated. The scorpion's remains stayed standing for a moment, then it slumped over and evaporated into dust.

A hail of gunfire came from the hill above the Master Chief, joined by enraged howls from the surviving ODSTs. Chief did not blame them, and after sprinting up the hill he turned around and joined them.

"Romeo 234, requesting immediate air support on my position. Danger close," Master Chief ordered, swapping out a magazine as he and the marines fell back behind the second line of explosives. Once again, when the charges went off, a large swath of the monsters disappeared into the fire and smoke. It was less than they wanted, however, and now only the older and more dangerous creatures remained. At the same time, Chief and his soldiers were running out of ammunition, which the creatures seemed to pick up on with murderous glee.

Without missing a beat, Chief fired his suppressed SMG into the nearest monster, using up half a clip to pop its ursine head and move on to the lupine next to it, which suffered the same fate. He reloaded, noting he only had two mags left, and tentatively backed up as the creatures drew closer.

"Romeo, where's that fire support?" Chief calmly asked, not allowing himself to show an inkling of fear. The surviving ODSTs under his command were showing a remarkable degree of self-control, but as the creatures drew closer and closer, their aim was becoming wilder and more driven by panic. They wouldn't last long in this state, and as Chief reloaded to his last magazine, he was greeted by the musical sound of air-to-surface missiles firing on the horde. Animalistic roars of pain echoed across the forest, drowned out by the explosions and raucous cheers from the ODSTs. Even the Master Chief allowed himself to smile slightly as the Pelican opened fire with its auto-cannon, gunning most of the horde down and sending the rest into a hasty retreat.

"Someone call for a pickup?" Romeo 234 joked as he turned the craft around and softly landed it, opening the troop bay and allowing Chief and the other four ODSTs to quickly hop aboard. Bisset had to practically carry a now wheezing Schmidt to his seat, the stress of combat straining his injuries, but with a quick nod and a thumbs up he showed he was okay. John was the last aboard, eyeing the forest as the retreating creatures peeked out from the trees and bushes. He could only see the red lights of their eyes, but other than threatening and angry growls, they did nothing.

John wanted nothing more than to gun them down then and there, but he had neither time nor the weaponry to do so. Instead, his eyes never leaving the monsters that surrounded them, he stepped onto the Pelican and sat down on the seat closest to him. He only clicked the safety on and lowered his weapon when the doors closed and the dropship lifted off, accelerating past terminal velocity and exiting the atmosphere. The crew was silent as they recovered from their ordeal, eyes drifting towards the now empty seat Williams previously sat in. John looked at it solemnly, forcing himself to look at it as he began to address the others.

"Sergeant Li, I take full responsibility for Williams' death," John declared. "It was my order to intervene, and I'll inform Admiral Cole as such."

"With all due respect, Master Chief," Sergeant Li countered, depolarizing his visor, "we all agreed to it."

The ODST sergeant left it at that, allowing the troop bay to descend into silence once again. Chief couldn't help but acknowledge Li's words, even if he didn't agree with them. He was the fireteam's leader, and the safety of his men fell upon his shoulders. The entire engagement flew across his mind as he analyzed it from every angle, trying to see if there was a way that wouldn't have resulted in a good soldier losing his life. In the end, he found that the only way that wouldn't have happened is if they left the village to fend for itself. One soldier under his command, or hundreds of apparently human civilians on an uncharted planet. It was an impossible decision, and he could only hope he made the right one.

One thing was for certain, though. No matter what happened next, the Master Chief vowed that Williams' sacrifice, along with that of all the other soldiers who died on this planet, would not be in vain.

* * *

Admiral Cole sighed, rubbing the bridge of his brow in resignation as reports flooded in from the planet. Initially, the data painted the picture that this planet, which many of his crew were now referring to as Terra, was remarkably earthlike. Core samples, atmospheric pressure and makeup. Where normally minute differences from planet to planet existed that differentiated it from their species' homeworld, there was none here. Combined with the presence of animals native to Earth, and most importantly a native population of humans that had apparently lived on the planet for thousands of years judging by the age of the ruins a few of the teams found, painted a picture that completely mystified him.

But he wasn't focused on that. Instead, he focused on the primary difference between this world and Earth. The hostile fauna that had engaged his men on the ground, inflicting heavy, sometimes catastrophic casualties. He lost both teams in Continent Delta within an hour of touchdown, their screams of panic drowned out by animalistic roars and screeches of the damned. The second team in Continent Beta was also marked KIA after they lost all contact with them. His other teams didn't fare much better, all but Sierra-104's and Lieutenant Kalib's teams reporting casualties, including a fair number of confirmed KIAs. Those creatures didn't have thermal signatures, no detectible heartbeats, and when they died, if he could even call them alive, they turned into dust. It baffled the mind, but he knew this: if this were a colonial expedition and no humans were previously on the planet, any good officer would've marked this planet as inhospitable, and no colony would have been founded until those creatures were rendered extinct. No doubt the Insurrectionists would've felt the same.

"Admiral, Lieutenant Kalib's team was able to recover a few bodies," Hannibal reported, popping up in the holotank next to him. "I've instructed her to take them to the medical bay for analysis."

"Good, good." Cole nodded. "I want the wounded taken care of first. Any study of native bodies is secondary."

"Of course, sir. I'll relay the orders at once," Hannibal said, turning his holographic avatar towards the planet and folding his arms behind his back. A moment of silence passed, then Hannibal said, "Admiral, if I may, I believe we need to discuss some of the conduct of the teams groundside."

"You're referring to their decisions to intervene?" Cole replied, to which Hannibal nodded.

"I understand their motivations. Seeing humans, much less civilians, being eaten alive is something no one should see. They've seen it enough from the Covenant as it is. But the fact of the matter is that by intervening, they disobeyed orders and put the mission, and their lives, at risk. Some of whom unfortunately paid for it dearly."

Cole nodded, then asked, "Hannibal, how many of the teams observed a village or settlement?"

"Of the ten teams sent to the planet's surface, six of them," Hannibal immediately answered. "One team on Continent Epsilon was attacked by the hostile fauna and unfortunately had their fight spill into the village, which I cannot fault them for. Of the other five, only Lieutenant Kalib's team did not intervene."

"How many of those intervening teams suffered casualties?"

"All but Sierra-104's."

"Were any of them detected?"

"I've been monitoring the planet's communications, and as of now I do not believe so. Excluding Lieutenant Sato's team, of course."

Cole nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. After a moment, he came to a decision. "I believe, Hannibal, in this instance that no disciplinary action is needed at this time. God knows they went through Hell down there, and there's no need to pile on. After they're debriefed, they'll receive a citation and nothing more."

"Of course, sir." Hannibal nodded, then disappeared in a brief flash of light. Cole continued to study the planet, folding his arms behind him. He couldn't help but feel that it was deceptively beautiful, like a rose whose petals masked its thorns. At the same time, he kept asking himself question after question. How did these people get here? How long have they been on the planet? Were those creatures always there, or only recently emerged from whatever depths of Hell they came from?

More importantly, he asked himself where he went wrong. Unlike the others, he was able to quickly find an answer, and he cursed himself for it. Cole and the rest of the UNSC had been fighting the Covenant for over fifteen years, sixteen in just a few more months. Billions had already died at their hands, and when they finally meet what appeared to be another alien race, he painted them with the same brush. It was a mistake. He should have responded to their hails, even without a finished translation, and displayed a more friendly disposition, but instead he parked his warship over their planet and waited. Cole wondered if that got his men killed, and he partly felt it did. The rest of him felt uncertain.

One thing was clear to him, though. As bad as their first impressions might have been, they had the chance to make it up. A chance that he would seize by the throat.

"Helm, find the source of that initial transmission," he ordered, typing a few icons on his holopad and uploading the first contact package he finalized. "Send this down to them. Its time we properly introduced ourselves."

"Yes, Admiral," the bridge crew replied in unison as they carried out his commands. As the transmission was sent, Cole furrowed his gaze, then turned around to walk out of the bridge so that he could personally greet his returning soldiers.

* * *

_Solitas Tundra, Kingdom of Atlas, Solitas_

_November 28__th__, 69 A.G.W. 23:30 Hours (Remnant Calendar)_

Qrow Branwen said nothing as the bullhead ferrying him and nearly a dozen Atlesian soldiers and a handful of scientists flew across the tundra. Instead, he gazed out the window, where the only source of light was the innumerable stars above and a faint, orange glow on the horizon. A glow that was rapidly growing in size as they neared it.

"Approaching the crash site. ETA, five minutes," the bullhead pilot announced. Qrow nodded, watching as another bullhead pulled up beside them. There were three in total, carrying a dozen personnel each, not including the pilots. He was the only Huntsman among them, but only because Ozpin barely managed to convince Ironwood otherwise. The General wanted to send his Ace Operatives to secure the crash site, but Ozpin successfully argued that sending Atlas' best Huntsmen and Huntresses to recover a crash was a misallocation of their capabilities, that they were instead more useful helping to contain the Grimm that continued to harass them. It wasn't an easy sell, but Ozpin was able to make it work.

Of course, Qrow knew the real reason why Ozpin wanted him to come along. He was just as curious about the aliens too, and if Ironwood had this way, they'd would've gone in guns blazing and shooting anything on site. Ozpin hoped there might've been survivors, and if there were, Qrow would be there to ensure they'd be treated appropriately. At the same time, Qrow did understand why Ironwood was so anxious. They detected ten small vessels, likely dropships or shuttles, depart the spaceship and scatter along the entire planet. The shuttles were too fast and advanced for their scanners and radar to pick them up properly, but before they lost contact, they counted two per continent.

Ironwood thought they were a preliminary invasion force, meant to weaken Remnant's defenses before prepping for an all out planetary invasion. Ozpin instead suggested that they were merely scouts investigating the planet. Despite the disagreement on the aliens' intentions, they did agree on one thing. The Grimm, emboldened by the blanket of fear Remnant found itself under, would likely come into contact with these newcomers, who likely didn't know of their existence. Assuming that Grimm weren't found on other planets, of course. If they weren't, Qrow envied them. Regardless, either these aliens were powerful enough to hold them off completely, which was naturally a cause for concern, or they were about to be slaughtered. Judging by the crash they detected near an Atlesian fishing village, Qrow felt he had his answer.

"Grimm. Engaging," the bullheads announced, firing their chin-mounted guns and tearing the monsters apart. There weren't all that many, mostly Teyrxes and Saybers, but a rare Solitas Nevermore shrugged off the heavy-caliber rounds and screeched out a challenge. It flew above them and shot a rain of razor-sharp feathers at the bullheads, who scattered to the side to avoid the projectiles. Despite the sudden change in momentum, Qrow kept his balance and slammed the bottom of his closed fist against the door release hatch. It shot open, allowing the freezing Solitas wind to rush inside and ruffle against the occupants. Loose clothing ruffled, and the researchers flinched at the surprise cold, but before any of them could shout a protest towards Qrow, the veteran Huntsman leaped out as the bullhead was forced to make another sharp turn.

Using the craft's momentum like a catapult, Qrow launched himself towards the Solitas Nevermore, unfurling Harbinger into its scythe configuration. He stabbed the weapon into the Grimm's neck, and it screeched in pain as he continued his momentum all the way around, carving through the unnaturally solid feathers and flesh like a can opener with a sickening squelch. With one final shot of his weapon's built in shotgun, he decapitated the Nevermore and launched back to the aircraft he jumped out of. Without missing a beat, he landed back where he originally stood, and he closed the hatch once again as the Nevermore turned into dust.

The passengers stared at him in shock and awe, one of them muttering a soft, "Damn…" under his breath. Qrow allowed himself to feel a little bit of vain pride as they continued towards the crash site. These types of situations were why having an expert Huntsman around was a good thing. That pride died as soon as they reached the crash site, and as the three bullheads shined their spotlights onto it, Qrow winced.

"Gods have mercy…" one of the soldiers breathed out as they took it in. Qrow said nothing, but he did purse his lips as he saw an all too familiar scene. The alien dropship, leaning on its side and with debris scattered everywhere around a snow-covered rock, was massive. It was easily a hundred feet long, with one wing jetting upward into the air like a shark fin. The other was shredded off, having been hurled dozens of feet away from the explosion. Black scorch marks covered its hull, but he was able to make out an olive green paintjob. What looked like four VTOL engines lined the ship and its wings, all of which sported heavy damage. More importantly, he was able to see what brought it down. Bitemarks from Teyrxes lined the hull, and tree-sized Nevermore feathers speared it like a pincushion. Red bloodstains painted the snow all around the site, and Qrow could only sigh before focusing himself.

"Let's bring us down," he said. The pilot nodded, and a few seconds later the bullheads descended. It's engines whined as they died down, and at the same time the side doors opened up and allowed all the soldiers and Qrow to hop out with their weapons or tools at the ready.

"North side clear," a soldier called out.

"South clear."

"Negative contacts on west."

"Same with east. I think we're good."

Qrow nodded, but he kept Harbinger out just in case. Feeling relatively secure, the researchers whom Qrow didn't bother learning the names of excitably hopped out, barely even acknowledging the cold as they inspected the dropship's remains.

"Look at this! It's magnificent!" one of them remarked as they began scanning it, trying to determine its composition. Qrow, meanwhile, focused on the red stains where the aliens died. He wasn't the most knowledgeable about biology, but he knew that if their blood was red, that meant they had iron in it and likely breathed oxygen. Probably didn't mean anything, but he liked to think that it might make things easier.

He walked around to the back end of the crash site, where he saw that the vessel had a large open compartment lined with seats on both sides. Two small white boxes with red crosses in the middle were thrown from their mounts on the far end, and he picked one of them up and prepared to open it.

"No, no, no! Don't touch it!" one of the scientists yelled out as he noticed Qrow. The veteran Huntsmen stopped, his hand already on the latch as the researcher ran up and carefully snatched it from his hands.

"What's the big deal?" Qrow asked as the researcher inserted the box into a sealed evidence bag.

"We have no idea what could be in those things. It's best to keep them sealed until we get back to Atlas," the researcher insisted, and Qrow crossed his arms.

"Let me guess: worried about alien germs?"

"I was actually worried about weapons or hazardous materials, but there is also that. In fact," the researched paused, then pulled out a can of disinfectant and sprayed Qrow down before he could protest. Qrow sputtered, and the researcher sprayed himself down as well and ignored the Huntsman's glare.

"You could've warned me," he pointed out, but the researcher ignored him as he carried the box back to the slowly growing pile next to one of the bullheads. Qrow rolled his eyes and continued moving around the crash site. He was drawn closer to the rock, and he noticed several indentations in the snow coming away from it. He kneeled next to one and rummaged through the snow, eventually finding a small object that was unmistakably a bullet. He flagged a soldier over and showed it to him, who immediately nodded and gathered a few of his comrades to find more.

"At least they still use bullets and not laser guns," Qrow muttered to himself, ignoring the fact that Remnant had laser guns. Experimental and only ship mounted, but still. Despite the apparent abundance of bullet holes in the snow, there weren't any casings. He chalked that up to the rounds being caseless, but soon that thought was discarded as he spotted an object half poking out of the snow. Qrow walked over and stood over it, tilting his head to get a better look before deciding to discard the researcher's 'advice' and picked it up.

The object was clearly a gun, and despite being pretty banged up, appeared to be in remarkably good shape. It more resembled a tube than anything, with a small handle at the front and a larger pistol grip in the back. What appeared to be a silencer was attached to the barrel, along with a red dot sight on the top. Along the side was a rectangular magazine, and a safety switch was next to the trigger. The only thing that moved on it was a collapsible stock, and he had no reason to believe that it had any mechashift capability whatsoever. It was remarkably lightweight and screamed military to him, but before he could even think about trying it out, he thought better of it and flagged a soldier down.

"Here, take this," Qrow said before moving on. There were a few other weapons and magazines scattered around the site, and despite them being alien in origin, he was able to recognize what they were surprisingly easily. Some looked like pistols with integrated silenced barrels, with a few scattered bullet casings around them. One oversized rifle looked like a marksman's weapon, and he even saw an Atlesian soldier heft a double-barreled rocket launcher over her shoulder, much to the protest of a researcher. Another was holding a smaller tube weapon that reminded Qrow of a grenade launcher, but he figured any confirmation and study would be done later.

It was then that he noticed a small cadre of soldiers and researchers huddling around something, murmuring to themselves. Qrow quickly walked over, pushing himself to the front where he gazed upon the half-eaten body of one of the aliens. One of its arms and legs was gnawed away, exposing the flesh and bone underneath its armored suit, but otherwise it was relatively intact. Its round head was shrouded by a helmet that had a dark, polarized visor on its front, and the rest of the suit was colored a deep black.

"I don't know about you, but this guy looks military to me," one of the soldiers remarked.

"We need to bring it back to Atlas. Run a DNA analysis," a researcher insisted.

"Do we even know if it uses DNA? I mean, it's an alien. Anything goes, right?" another soldier asked.

"As far as we know, but this is the first alien body we've ever found. Who knows how they might've evolved?"

"I still want to know what it at least looks like," yet another soldier muttered, causing the researcher to roll his eyes.

"We can do that in the safety of a lab."

"Well, I don't see what the problem is with a quick peek," Qrow said, and before the egghead could protest, Qrow reached down and grabbed the helmet with both hands. He pulled it off with surprising ease, and any protest the researcher had on his lips died as they quickly noticed the alien's head and face.

"Okay, what the hell is this?" a soldier asked, looking at the others in bewilderment. Qrow didn't blame him. With the dark hair, two open brown eyes, a single two-nostril nose over a mouth, and a pair of round ears on the side of the head, this 'alien' looked unmistakably human. A male human, to be precise, judging by the small mustache he sported atop his bloodied lip. Part of Qrow wanted to ask if this was a sick prank, but as he gazed around the crash site of the definitely alien dropship, he quickly discarded it. This apparent human came from that alien vessel, which meant he was an alien too, or something a _lot_ more complicated was going on.

"So, I guess those bad sci-fi movies and comic books were right?" a soldier asked with a clearly disbelieving tone.

"Let's…not make any assumptions," the researcher squeaked out. "Load him onto the stretcher. Carefully."

The soldiers did as instructed, and Qrow took that as his cue to leave. He walked away towards the rock, where he saw obvious claw marks as Saybers and other Grimm attempted to kill the alien defenders. Humanoid footprints were meshed haphazardly together with those from the Grimm, and he was beginning to see what had happened in his mind's eye. The human aliens landed on the planet, likely on a scouting mission, and after a while they were attacked by the Grimm. They tried to leave, but the Grimm shot down their dropship, and they subsequently died.

"Went out fighting, though," he whispered, then noticed a large depression in the snow as though something large was thrown into it. Feeling curious, Qrow walked over to it, then used his hands as shovels to push away the snow. After nearly a minute of digging, he noticed the dark, silvery sheen of a cracked visor. Realizing there was a body here, Qrow doubled his efforts, and soon was able to expose the upper half of the body. Unlike the first, this one was remarkably intact. Blood was leaking out in places, and he could see the white skin through torn patches of the undersuit, but there wasn't anything that suggested he was eaten alive. Through the cracked visor that stretched diagonally from the top right to the middle, Qrow was able to see part of the man's face. His eye was closed, and clutched tightly in his right hand was a pistol.

Qrow shook his head in disappointment and prepared to turn around and call for the others, then he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. His Aura tingled, and his hand slowly reached for Harbinger's handle as he turned his body to the side. There, buried in the snow, he was able to spot the body of a Sayber laying in wait, its red eyes barely visible through the veil of white. Seeing that it was noticed, the Sayber growled and erupted out of the snow, obscuring Qrow's vision just as the Huntsman whipped out his weapon. The Grimm lunged through the air, its mouth opened wide and fully prepared to bite down onto his neck.

But it never got the chance. Neither did Qrow get the chance to cut it in half as, just before he could swing, twelve suppressed gunshots chuffed out right next to him. About half of the bullets slammed into the Sayber's head near the eye, cracking the bone armor and finally piercing the eye and brain. It slumped to the ground, and Qrow quickly followed with a downward chop to cut off the head. As the Grimm's body evaporated into smoke and the Atlesian soldiers responded to the gunshots, Qrow whipped his head to the side. His eyes widened as he looked through the alien's cracked visor to see his now opened eye. Qrow's pale red eyes met the alien's vibrant blue, and in his hand was a raised and slightly smoking pistol. He muttered something unintelligible, then the blue eye rolled to the back of his head and he fell back into the snow.

Qrow acted immediately, leaving his weapon impaled in the snow and pulling out a first aid kit he had brought with him as he yelled, "We have a survivor over here!"

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Happy Memorial Day, and welcome to the latest chapter of _Dust and Echoes_. Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for all their help bringing this chapter to life. The UNSC has had their official first contact with the Grimm, and it wasn't pretty. Yet, despite how everything started, there's still hope for things to turn out alright. What will happen next? You guys will have to wait and see.

Now, for the Q&A:

**Shadowstorm-Vash: **Yep, I don't intend on selling the Grimm short here. They're dangerous, and pretty resistant to small caliber rounds. At the same time, I wanted to show that humanity's 26th century weapons were still useful against them. So they managed to kill quite a few, but not until suffering some pretty serious casualties. With the exception of that one team led by Lieutenant Kalib, the other ODST-only groups did not have a good time.

**Guest (1): **I actually intend to tell my own story with this, not rechart the RWBY canon plotline just with _Halo_ characters. What that entails, you'll have to wait and see.

**Guest (2): **There will of course be references, but don't expect to see any actual characters from _Red vs Blue_.

**kpmh2001:** Happy to have you with us! To answer your question, it's a bit of both. I like to think I'm a good writer as it is, having done so for the last three years through multiple stories, but I do have two other people helping me with brainstorming / editing / writing. It's a group effort, and without their help, this story wouldn't be near as good. And yes, I have done my research. _Halo_ is one of my favorite sci-fi universes, and I wanted to do it justice.

**Steelrain66: **Yes, Remnant and Earth had different languages develop, as Chief explained. At one point, I considered having them speak the same language and explain it via Forerunner Bullshit, but I thought better of it and went the route I took in _Hunters of Justice _where Remnant's languages, while sounding like Earth languages to us are actually completely different.

**T3mp3rusMaximus: **Well, I'm happy that I'm able to help you out during this trying time. Stay safe, of course.

**EWR115: **There will be references to _Aliens_ and other classic sci-fi movies/video games. After all, _Halo_ was very much based off of _Aliens_, and I'd be remiss to not take advantage of that.

**BanzEye:** The _Everest_ is not actually atmospheric capable. It's both far too big and heavily damaged. Trying to enter Remnant's atmosphere would not do it any favors.

That's it for this time. Le us know what you think, and we hope you enjoy!


	7. Proper Introductions

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 6: Proper Introductions**

[~][~]

_Solitas Tundra, Kingdom of Atlas, Solitas_

_November 29__th__, 69 A.G.W. 01:15 Hours (Remnant Calendar)_

Qrow said nothing as he simply stared at the unconscious alien laid out on a stretcher inside the bullhead. The other soldiers were doing the same thing, and he didn't blame them in the slightest. Admittedly, when the aliens first arrived, he didn't know exactly what they would look like. But, he did figure that they wouldn't look exactly like a human being, despite what movies and comics liked to say. Lo and behold, the alien he and the others were looking at matched a human perfectly. A human male in his thirties, if he had to guess.

'_This is beyond uncanny,_' Qrow thought, slouching over while clasping his hands together in front of his face.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why is it a human?" a soldier said, keeping his rifle tightly clutched to his chest. Qrow couldn't help but note that the safety was off and the soldier was fully prepared to fire on the unconscious alien at a moment's notice. He would have to keep an eye on that one, same with the others.

"Hell if I know," another replied with a shrug. "Maybe the Gods?"

"You still believe in that?"

"After seeing an alien that looks exactly like a human being, I'm more inclined to the possibility."

Qrow figured there was some truth to that, more than the soldier knew. If there was anyone on the planet who did know why the aliens appeared to be human, Ozpin would know. Especially if the Two Brothers were involved. He knew more about them than anyone.

Finally, they entered sight of Atlas, their bullhead breaking off from the rest of the flight to land at a hospital. Several doctors and nurses, alongside Doctor Polendina, General Ironwood, and Professor Ozpin, were waiting. They were all looking at the bullhead, Pietro with wonder, Ozpin in curious confusion, but the General looked suspicious. His brow was furrowed and his hands clenched, but he forced himself to look neutral as the bullhead landed and the doors swung open.

"Easy, easy," Qrow called out as the wounded alien was moved out of the aircraft. The host of doctors swarmed him, but they were quickly parted as Ironwood calmly walked forward to get a closer look. He narrowed his eyes and studied the man, then nodded.

"Bring him to the medical bay," he ordered. "I want guards on him at all times. As soon as he is able, I want him moved to interrogation."

"Yes, General," the soldiers replied with a crisp salute, then wheeled the alien away. Doctor Polendina shot Ironwood a look, then went after the men. Soon, only Qrow, Ironwood, and Ozpin were on the landing pad, looking at the hospital before the other two turned to look at Qrow. He already knew what they wanted to ask, and he raised his hands.

"Don't look at me, I have no idea what's going on," Qrow admitted.

"I didn't expect you to," Ironwood admitted. "But you're the one who found him, so I want to know what exactly went down. My men were light on the details."

Qrow took a breath of the frosty air and shook his head. "What your men told you was exactly what happened. I found a body buried in the snow and I thought he was dead. Then, a Sayber buried in snow tried to attack me, only for the alien I found to shoot it in the eye about six times."

"He saved you, then?" Ozpin asked, and Qrow scoffed.

"I wouldn't say 'saved.' Just as he shot I was prepared to cut off its head, but I don't think he knew that. Frankly, with how wounded he was, I'm surprised he managed to hit the Sayber at all, much less half his shots."

"Are you certain he was aiming for the Sayber?" Ironwood asked. Qrow narrowed his eyes and bored them into the General's, then nodded.

"Yes, he was. Keep that in mind before you start treating him like an enemy."

"I wasn't going to," Ironwood shot back, then straightened himself and folded his arms behind his back. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to treat him like an ally, either. Until we know exactly what he is, he will be treated as a prisoner of war with all the protections that entails. I do know this, though: I was right."

"Right about what, exactly?" Qrow asked, and Ironwood turned his head to the shattered moon above. Ozpin and Qrow, after a moment, followed his gaze. Hovering in place over the moon was a small blinking dot, and it wasn't hard for them to determine what that dot actually was.

"That alien was a human being," Ironwood began. "I know we won't know for certain until the DNA analysis comes back, but I think both of you can agree on that. That means we can assume human behavior. More importantly, that man was a soldier. A highly trained soldier, given his weapons, armor, and his ability to hit his target despite being heavily wounded. He and the others came from that blasted ship, which tells me one thing: that spacecraft is a warship."

Qrow and Ozpin looked at each other. Try as they might, they could not refute Ironwood's analysis. That human alien screamed 'soldier' with every fiber of his being, and it was a logical next step to assume the ship he was on was also militarily operated. Part of Qrow felt a little disappointed by that. Even after a species broke the confines of their homeworld, violence and warfare still followed them. For Ozpin, the disappointment was even deeper, but it was tempered by sheer confusion over the fact that the aliens were humans to begin with.

Ironwood then nodded and turned around. "If you'll excuse me."

He left without saying another word, and soon only Ozpin and Qrow were left on the landing pad. The arctic wind whistled around them as they stood in silence, then Qrow turned to look at Ozpin.

"Please tell me you know anything about this," Qrow begged, but to his shock Ozpin shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I don't. I don't know why those aliens are human," Ozpin admitted, looking down and taking off his glasses to rub them clean.

"There has to be a reason, though," Qrow insisted. "You told me that the Gods made humanity before they left. Maybe they made humans again somewhere else."

"That is a likely possibility, yes," Ozpin replied, putting his glasses back on and resting both of his hands on the top of his cane. "Assuming, of course, we were the first."

"…Well, that's not terrifying at all," Qrow admitted. He hadn't thought of the possibility that Remnant came after wherever these aliens came from.

"Indeed." Ozpin nodded, then sighed. "What do you think of them?"

Qrow remained silent for a moment, then quietly said, "I don't know yet, Oz. But I don't think they're here to make enemies."

Ozpin nodded, then he turned around and walked back into the hospital, Qrow walking in behind him.

* * *

General Ironwood watched as the alien soldier was carefully removed from his armor. The purpose was twofold. For one, they simply had to in order to treat his injuries. It tended to be difficult to do that when a patient is covered head to toe in body armor. At the same time, he also desired to analyze the armor, figure out what it was made of and what it did. His teams had already gathered every sample they could out of the wreckage, from the recovered bodies and the discarded weapons. A few bullheads modified for heavy lifting were even flying out at that very moment to bring the wreckage to Atlas. As tense as the situation was, it was also a remarkable opportunity. One that he would have to be a fool to squander. James Ironwood was many things, but a fool wasn't one of them.

He saw no reason why they shouldn't recover the remains of the crash site. On the one hand, it had landed on Atlesian soil. They could do with it as they wished. If the aliens didn't approve, then Ironwood figured they shouldn't have landed there in the first place. Besides, this was alien technology that was fully capable of leaving atmosphere, something that even Remnant had never been able to do despite the technological advances that they had achieved in the past few decades. If they could learn how to replicate what the aliens did, Remnant might finally be able to escape the confines of their homeworld, free themselves from the Grimm once and for all. At the same time, however, he wasn't about to go desecrate the remains. His scientists would pore over every square inch of the alien technology they could get their hands on, surely, but they would be sure to leave as much of it intact as possible. Especially the bodies. If Ironwood was right, he figured the human aliens would appreciate having the bodies of their fallen recovered.

Once the soldier was removed from his black armor, Ironwood couldn't help but wince at the shape his body was in. Dark bruises and open wounds crisscrossed his flesh like a macabre painting, which the doctors were immediately trying to treat. They hooked him up to a saline solution and pressed a respirator over his face, hoping and praying that he breathed the same air they did, based on the fact that he hadn't asphyxiated yet despite being exposed to their atmosphere for so long. Only when the armor was carted out and one of the doctors closed the blinds of the medical room did he calmly turn around and walk away. Ironwood followed the cart out of the military hospital and into a nearby lab, where scientists and their assistants were already scanning the various bits of technology they had recovered. Chief among them was Doctor Polendina, with Doctor Watts next to him.

"Doctor Polendina, Doctor Watts," Ironwood greeted, walking up to them as they stood over a table containing the mostly intact armor the wounded solider had arrived in. A helmet from a separate set was with it, and the entire armor was arranged in a human-like way. Scattered around the room were various other pieces of armor, all of which were being tested on with various equipment and tools.

"James," Doctor Polendina greeted, Watts adding a quick 'General' along with it.

"Have you found anything yet?"

"We've only just got the materials, Ironwood. You cannot possibly expect us to tell you exactly how they work right now, do you?" Watts indignantly asked. Ironwood breathed in sharply, not intending to sound impatient but now realizing he did.

"Of course not," Ironwood insisted, raising his gloved hand in a placating gesture. "I was just hoping that you could provide a preliminary report."

"Ah, that we can do," Pietro replied, pulling out a scroll and bringing up an image of the armor as well as a few of the weapons they recovered. "This suit is…remarkable, in so many ways. Both in terms of what it can do as well as what it is made out of. Curiously, there's a lack of any Dust in the materials, both in the armor and weapons, but we're still looking into that."

"Explain," Ironwood ordered, and Pietro nodded as he held up the chest plate of the suit, allowing the undersuit to be revealed.

"The armor itself is multi-layered, with each layer adding to the overall protection. Frankly, it makes Atlesian armor look primitive," Pietro admitted. "The innermost layer is made out of Kevlar, as well as a heating and cooling system. I don't know yet how far that system can go, but undoubtedly it makes sure that the wearer is comfortable no matter the environment."

"We also think it can be pressurized," Watts added. "Undoubtedly to operate in the vacuum of space. What is odd is the coating that covers it."

"Coating?" Ironwood asked, eyeing the armor. Watts then rubbed his hand over it, wiping away some of the grime and dust, allowing a slight shine to appear.

"For whatever reason, an optical refractive coating was added on top of this armor, both in the outer layer of the undersuit as well as the external titanium-ceramic armor plating. One that is highly heat resistant. From the small samples of their ship's wreck, it covers that, too. Observe," Watts said as a technician brought over a blowtorch and handed it to the scientist. Watts took it, ignited the flame, then applied it directly to the chest piece. Much to Ironwood's surprise, the fire was dissipated, spreading across the entire armor instead of burning into it.

"Why would they do that?" Ironwood wondered aloud, then turned his attention to the various weapons arranged on tables around the room. Pietro and Watts noticed this immediately, then shook their heads.

"We'll get to them in a moment," Watts insisted. "Frankly, I find those weapons to be rather boring and unimaginative, but I assure you they only fire simple projectiles. They were not using energy weaponry, in case you were wondering."

"Hmm," Ironwood hummed and rubbed his chin, pondering the implications. On one hand, knowing that the aliens still used bullets was an immense relief. Bullets and projectiles were something Remnant knew quite well, and that meant they could be countered. But the fact that an infantry armor used that coating was suspicious. A dropship meant to go into orbit made sense. Atmospheric exit and reentry generated a lot of heat simply from the friction, judging from their failed attempts at getting into space, and having a material to dissipate that was only logical. Putting it onto a soldier was not, unless they intended on dropping these people from orbit. That sounded like suicide to him, like dropping feet first into Hell.

There was another possibility, one that he didn't like to think about. Soldiers and armies need enemies simply to exist. If they used bullets, yet felt the need to give their soldiers protection against high heat, what enemies were they fighting? Ironwood tried not to think about that, but he did so all the same. The more he did, the more he thought back to the melted holes on that ship's hull.

"Perhaps their enemies do," Ironwood spoke his thoughts aloud, dropping his hand back to his side. Pietro and Watts looked at each other for a moment, then nodded at the general.

"That is a possibility. Regardless, I believe it's simply to protect against heat generated during reentry," Pietro declared, then picked up the helmet. "This, however, is very interesting. The entire helmet houses an integrated electronics suite. We don't know yet what all it does, but it appears to be powered by the suit itself through this rucksack."

He gestured to the backpack in question as he held up an empty pistol taken from a nearby table. "The rucksack acts like an armored backpack, one that houses a built-in battery and also has magnetic properties. The magnets act as holsters, strong enough to hold a weapon yet weak enough to easily be taken off. See?"

Pietro placed the pistol against the side of rucksack, where it attached with a faint click. He then held up the rucksack, grunting under the weight before jostling it up and down. True to his word, the pistol did not fall off, yet after he placed the rucksack back onto the table, Pietro simply took the weapon off like it wasn't held down by anything. Ironwood immediately saw the applications of such a technology, and he was impressed.

"Can we make something similar?" he asked, to which Pietro nodded.

"Once I finish up here, I intend to find ways to replicate what they can do. From what I can see, their technology, in many areas, is surprisingly attainable," Pietro admitted.

"Which brings me back to the weapons," Watts cut in. "You'll be happy to know, General, that in that department we've completely eclipsed them. Sure, their weapons are lighter than ours, but their capabilities are severely limited. They're nothing more than high caliber submachineguns, pistols, anti-material rifles that for whatever reason appeared to be used as a sniper rifle, rocket launchers, and grenade launchers. Nothing exotic about them. Indeed, none of them appear to even have mecha-shift capabilities. The most movement any of them have is their rocket launchers, and all that does is rotate the barrels."

"I don't fault them for lack of mecha-shift capabilities," Pietro argued. "We only developed that because of the Grimm and how they inevitably get close to us. The fact that they don't carry any melee weaponry at all beyond these simple knives indicates that they're either all highly skilled hand-to-hand combatants, or that they haven't had to fight anything like the Grimm, and so never saw the need for that."

"Given the state we found them in, I'll go with the second hypothesis," Watts remarked, causing both Pietro and even Ironwood to frown.

"People died, Arthur," Pietro pointed out.

"I meant no disrespect, of course," Watts defended himself, the look on his face betraying his lie. "I'm only pointing out the obvious."

"Be that as it may," Ironwood cut in before the two scientists could descend into a full on argument, "your analysis, Arthur, I fear is severely limited in scope. You are basing an entire species' military capabilities off of the corpses of six individuals and the small arms they brought with them. For all we know, they might have handheld weapons that put ours to shame, ones that they didn't bring down with them for whatever reason."

"Which begs the question: we still don't know why they came down here in the first place. Why?" Arthur asked, showing no signs that he even considered Ironwood's point. Ironwood took a breath and sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't know yet, but if I had to guess, they were scouting," he admitted.

"Scouting for what?" Pietro asked, and Ironwood shook his head again.

"That I don't know, and it worries me," Ironwood replied. The three stood in silence for a moment, then Ironwood felt his scroll vibrate. Someone was calling him, and he excused himself from the two scientists as he stepped outside to take the call.

"This is General Ironwood. Report," he spoke.

"_Sir, it's the alien ship,_" one of his lieutenants reported. "_They've sent us a transmission!_"

Ironwood froze as the situation was turned on its head yet again. "A transmission? Of what?"

"_We're deciphering it now, but we think it might be a first contact package. It contains a lot of images, videos and words._"

"I'll send Doctor Polendina over right away," he remarked. "Any word on the teams from the other continents?"

"_Not yet, but most of them are still en route._" The lieutenant paused, then added, "_We have been getting some strange reports, however._"

"Clarify," Ironwood ordered.

"_We're getting a few transmissions from isolated villages in Vale, Vacuo, and even Menagerie. They wanted to thank Atlas for sending soldiers to protect their villages._"

Ironwood felt a tinge of pride at that, and he smiled. Given how controversial his military buildup had been over the past few years, to hear words of thanks sent their way meant a lot.

"Well, that's to be expected. Atlas is always working tirelessly to protect Remnant's people," he boasted.

"_I understand that, sir, but the problem is that a few of them came from villages we didn't have any forces stationed near,_" the lieutenant reported back.

Now Ironwood was confused, and with a raised eyebrow, he asked, "Why would they think it was Atlas?"

"_According to the reports, they saw heavily armored soldiers fight the Grimm as they assaulted their villages, leading them away. Some of them even had what they thought were Atlesian Specialists given how fast and powerful they were._"

Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "I want a map of those reports sent to me as soon as possible. Something isn't right."

"_Of course, sir. It'll be over to you in a few minutes,_" the lieutenant replied. Ironwood nodded, then bid farewell and walked back into the lab.

"Pietro, I need you back at Atlas Academy," Ironwood called out. "You'll be happy to know the aliens just replied to your transmission."

Ironwood never thought he would see the rotund Pietro Polendina stop what he was doing and run away so fast, and he could only watch in amazement as the scientist left a trail of kicked up snow in this wake as he sprinted as fast as he could towards the nearest landing pad.

* * *

Professor Ozpin silently watched through the windows as the doctors and nurses tended to the wounded alien solider. He was simultaneously worried for his survival, as the man's injuries were severe, and at the same time very much confused. Everyone was, which Ozpin felt was more than understandable. It was quite likely that the aliens were also confused as to why humans were on Remnant. More importantly, he wondered what this revelation meant.

He had always believed that Remnant was humanity's home. Before, there was no reason for him not to believe that. Humans had emerged from the dust over a hundred-thousand years ago, and over the eons learned how to harness Dust and Aura to build their present civilization. A civilization far different than the one he was initially born in, a world without Gods watching over them. They had achieved wonders, and Ozpin's every waking moment was spent ensuring that his people would continue to prosper while safeguarding them from those who wished to bring harm and destruction.

But here he sat, staring at a human being from beyond the stars. They confirmed that the alien was, indeed, human. A few genetic differentials, most likely stemming from simple genetic drift over time, but the alien was still human. It was puzzling, and Ozpin had been ruminating over it for the past few hours. Why were there humans from outer space? Did they come from another world? If so, were they born there, or were they taken from Remnant and placed somewhere else? And that brought up the question of whether Remnant even was their homeworld in the first place, which horrified him more than he liked to admit.

Ozpin kept thinking back to the Gods that created them. Two Brothers, one of Light and one of Darkness, who initially created humanity before wiping them out after a foolish rebellion. If his memory and estimations were correct, the previous extinction of humanity and all other life on Remnant, with one notable exception, happened a hundred-thousand years ago. The Gods then left Remnant behind, planting the seeds to allow life to begin again millennia later. Perhaps they were responsible for this second humanity? It was certainly possible. The Gods created Remnant and put humans on it, that didn't exclude them from doing it again somewhere else. Ozpin felt that, in some way at the very least, the Brothers were responsible for this. Either they created both humanities at the same time, or one after another. The question is, which planet came first? Remnant, or whatever world this alien soldier hailed from?

It was then that one of the doctors stepped out of the room, catching Ozpin's attention immediately. He stood up and calmly walked over to him, a dark-skinned Faunus with a lizard tail coming from under his coat, gently tapping his cane against the ground as he did.

"How is he?" Ozpin politely asked, stopping in front of the doctor. He nodded back to the professor and placed his hands on his coat pockets.

"The alien's going to live," he revealed. "We have him hopped up on painkillers and sedatives as his body heals, plus a cast for his fractured wrist. He does have a few broken ribs, but nothing that requires surgery, luckily."

"That's a relief," Ozpin said with a sigh. "Have you found anything interesting about him?"

The doctor shot a look towards the unconscious patient, then back at Ozpin and nodded.

"For the most part, he's completely human," he revealed. "DNA matches up nearly perfectly. He isn't _our_ human, though."

"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked, raising an eyebrow. The doctor sighed and took off his glasses as he looked Ozpin straight in the eyes.

"He doesn't have an Aura, Professor," he revealed, sending Ozpin aback slightly.

"What do you mean, 'he doesn't have an Aura?'"

"He doesn't have one. At all," the doctor clarified. "We thought it was simply broken during the fight against the Grimm, but after a few hours it didn't recover. So, we tried bringing it back up manually, but there was nothing _to_ bring up. Meaning, he never had his Aura unlocked in the first place."

"That isn't uncommon. Most people don't have their Auras unlocked," Ozpin noted. Even some soldiers and militia didn't have their Auras unlocked either, but that usually didn't last very long.

"We know, but when we tried to unlock it so that it could heal his body, nothing came up. At all." The doctor narrowed his eyes. "Professor, he doesn't have an Aura because he _couldn't _have Aura. Not him, and most likely the other soldiers who died. If not even their fighters have Aura, I think it's safe to assume the rest of their people don't, either."

Ozpin's eyes widened slightly as he absorbed this information. An entire people without Aura? It was almost unheard of. Of course, it took centuries for Aura use among people to be discovered, and centuries more to have it proliferate.

"Hmm, perhaps their different environment meant they never discovered it?" Ozpin suggested.

"That is a possibility, but it's also just as likely that he simply can't because he's an alien."

"Perhaps." Ozpin nodded, then tilted his head towards the door. "Do you mind if I try unlocking it? I am highly trained and proficient in Aura, and have unlocked many over the years."

"Be my guest, but be ready to be disappointed," the doctor replied, stepping to the side and allowing Ozpin to walk into the room.

The other nurses watched silently as Ozpin stood over the man while he thought on how best to proceed. Then, he closed his eyes and placed his hands gently over the man's forehead and chest, concentrating as hard as he could. The ritual he was attempting to perform was ancient, and to most people it required a chant in order to reach the level of concentration and focus required for it to be successful. Ozpin, however, was focused and experienced enough to do it without such a guide. Soon, his body glowed dark green as his Aura flared to life, traveling from his body and into the unconscious soldier. The nurses looked on in awe as Ozpin pushed deeper and deeper, trying to reach the man's soul and pull something out. He was able to feel something, yet try as he might it would not budge, seeming to "slip" from the touch of his soul no matter how he approached it. He hadn't felt something like this in a long, long time.

Eventually, the strain on his own body grew too much, and so he stopped. He breathed heavily for a few moments, then recollected himself and stepped back.

"I told you it wouldn't work. Atlesian technology couldn't even bring it up," the doctor stated.

"No, it did not, but I felt something," Ozpin noted. "This man does have a soul, which means, theoretically, he can have Aura."

"Then why can't we bring it up? He's human, and our Auras activate all the time. Why didn't his?" the doctor asked.

"I don't have the answer to that right now, unfortunately," Ozpin admitted. "If I had to guess, it is possible that the slight genetic differences widened to the point where they are technically a different species of human."

"Like a subspecies?" the doctor asked, and Ozpin nodded.

"Precisely, much like the difference between humans and faunus. I've dabbled in studying ancient cultures from time to time, and there is evidence to support that when Aura use started becoming prevalent among humans, it was more difficult for Faunus' Auras to activate. It took centuries for Aura to cross between our peoples. This might very well be the exact same scenario, just…amplified."

Ozpin then pursed his lips and looked at the soldier. "Of course, if you're a more religious person, there are tales that explain the origins of Aura to begin with. According to many of them, Aura was not gifted to humanity until we ate from the fruit of the gods. Perhaps his people never ate that fruit."

"I'll believe the subspecies hypothesis," the doctor dryly concluded, and Ozpin shrugged.

"That is entirely fair," Ozpin remarked, then his scroll vibrated. He pulled it up and saw a message from General Ironwood, which he read then pocketed the device once again. "If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to the General."

The doctor and nurses nodded, then Ozpin calmly turned back around and walked away. After traversing through the hallways of the hospital, he emerged at one of the many landing pads that were connected to it, where a bullhead was waiting for him. Ozpin gave a quick, polite nod to the waiting pilot as he got in, then the vehicle rose off the ground and flew towards Atlas Academy. Without even needing to be told where to go, Ozpin stepped off the bullhead once it landed and made his way towards Ironwood's office.

"General," Ozpin greeted as he walked inside. Qrow, Leonardo, Glynda and Pietro were also there, standing around a holotable in the center of the room.

"Professor Ozpin. Good, you're here. Now, we can proceed," Ironwood stated, standing up from his seat and folding his arms behind his back. "As you're all aware, a few hours ago the alien warship sent a transmission to the entire planet. Each kingdom got the exact same message, which contained a series of images, videos, and audio. Pietro?"

"Of course, James," Pietro said, pressing a button on his scroll. The holotable sprung to life, and a series of photographs and videos appeared. Among them, they saw a man with grey hair and slightly wrinkled skin standing at the front of the ship's bridge, wearing a sharp military-style uniform that wouldn't look out of place in Atlas.

"We believe this man, whom we have designated as the Captain, is the leader of these human aliens," Pietro explained. "James was right, and it is now abundantly clear that this is a military warship."

"Did they reveal anything of note?" Leonardo asked. "Can we even understand them?"

"Right now, no. Unfortunately," Pietro regretfully informed the Mistralian headmaster. "Despite us both being human, our languages are completely different. They did, however, attempt to send binary code transmissions to us, which my team is currently working on fully translating."

"Binary…isn't that the ones and zeroes that computers use?" Qrow asked, not intimately familiar with programming. When Pietro nodded in affirmation, Qrow continued, "What is that going to do if we don't even have the same language? Those two little numbers can mean something entirely different to us both."

"Which is why we're taking our time. In fact, we were hoping that once the soldier we recovered wakes up, we might be able to work on an actual translation."

"Speaking of which, the doctors believe he is going to survive," Ozpin revealed, "but he does not have the capability to use Aura at all. I tried reaching in to activate it, but nothing shifted."

"You mean those soldiers went down here and fought Grimm without any Aura?" Glynda gently asked. When Ozpin nodded, her eyes went soft. "It's a miracle they lasted as long as they did."

"Indeed. Speaks volumes as to how well trained they were," Ironwood noted, a hint of respect in his voice towards fellow warriors. "Which brings me to my next point. Huntsmen teams were sent to track down the scouts once they landed, and unfortunately none of the teams were able to arrive prior to the alien's departure. We have, however, encountered evidence that they all came into conflict with the Grimm."

A series of photos were brought up, showing various locations across Remnant. Qrow recognized many of them. Lake Matsu in Anima, an oasis in Vacuo, and the frosty mountains of Solitas among others.

"What happened at Lake Matsu?" Leonardo asked, horrified at the level of devastation wrought upon its famous floating islands.

"We believe that team encountered a Lancer nest hidden among the islands, then detonated some of the local Dust deposits to make their escape," Ironwood answered. "Destruction to the natural environment, however, is not the issue. The issue is that they didn't go entirely unnoticed."

"What do you mean?" Glynda asked.

"Over the past few hours, Atlas has received several reports across the planet thanking us for sending soldiers to defend isolated villages," Ironwood explained. Qrow wanted to roll his eyes at the blatant chest pounding, but he remained silent and allowed Ironwood to continue. "The problem is, many of those reports came from villages we had no forces near. Coincidentally, those villages were near the approximate landing sites of the aliens."

That caught everyone's attention, and they looked at the holographic projection as a map of Remnant was shown. At first, it was blank, merely showing the kingdoms' borders. Then a layer was added on top, showing the landing sites of the dropships with big red dots. Finally, a third layer was added, showing several villages with yellow dots that were within twenty miles of the landing sites. One of those locations was a fishing village along the southern Solitas coast, which was right next to the crash site they discovered. It was obvious to Ozpin what the correlation meant, and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and smiled.

"They intervened," Ozpin breathlessly noted. "They saw the villages under attack by the Grimm and tried to save them, putting themselves at risk to do so."

"That's what I said!" Pietro exclaimed boisterously. "These aliens are not our enemy, and their actions proved it!"

"Please tell me you see that, General?" Glynda asked. Slowly, everyone's attention turned towards Ironwood, who after a moment of silence, nodded.

"I do," he admitted. "These soldiers did not have to intervene, yet they did. I still don't trust them, not completely, but I no longer believe they are an immediate threat."

"Well, that's a relief," Qrow noted, leaning back against the wall. "Now what?"

"Now, we work on a translation," Pietro answered. "If we can communicate with each other, then we can finally move beyond all of this."

"If I may, when the soldier wakes up, I would like to work with him," Ozpin volunteered. "Seeing a civilian face might make him more at ease than appearing to be a military prisoner."

Ironwood thought it over for a minute, then nodded. "I'll allow it, but I want my men nearby at all times. Just in case."

Ozpin shook his head. "I can handle myself against an unarmed, injured, and Aura-less soldier just fine, General. Unless you think I'm incapable?"

"I wasn't trying to—" Ironwood hastily tried to correct himself, then stopped and sighed. "Fine, I see your point."

Ozpin chuckled, "It's alright. I'm just happy we finally have a way forward from here."

* * *

_Altas Military Hospital, Kingdom of Atlas, Solitas_

_November 30__th__, 69 A.G.W. 11:01 Hours (Remnant Calendar)_

With the realization that the aliens were not their enemies, Ozpin finally got a full night's sleep. It felt as though years of stress were being lifted off of him, yet it had only been a few days. He supposed first contact with aliens, even human aliens, did that to a person. Already the various international news outlets and media were dissecting each and every inch of the first contact package the aliens sent down, which he idly glanced over while sipping a cup of hot chocolate from his mug. Among the myriad array of topics being discussed, their abundant human nature and apparent militarization were the most prevalent, alongside their now known interventions against Grimm attacks. People were both confused as to why these aliens were human and concerned that they might be part of a totalitarian regime that sought to forcibly absorb them into their ranks. Ozpin had to admit that possibility had crossed his mind, but he liked to think that their cousins, as he supposed they were, had grown beyond that.

"Why do I get the feeling that Atlas and these guys, whoever they are, are going to get along just fine?" Qrow asked, walking alongside his mentor with Glynda as well.

"What makes you think that?" Glynda dryly asked, her eyes glued to the scroll in her hands.

"I don't know. Call it a gut feeling," Qrow quipped back with a nonchalant shrug. "Assuming they don't start shooting each other first."

"That's probably not going to happen."

"Call me pessimistic, then. Still, something about them rubs me the wrong way," Qrow admitted. "How they acted towards us made no sense, like they first assumed we were an enemy then decided otherwise. Why?"

Ozpin didn't have an answer to that and shrugged after taking another sip. "I suppose, once the soldier we recovered wakes up, we'll get the answer to that question."

"You know, Oz? Part of me hopes we don't," Qrow declared with a slight frown. "If they have enemies of their own, and my instincts are screaming at me that they do, we should have no part of it unless we have no other choice. Even then, only once we have the full picture."

Ozpin stopped and turned around to look his head agent in the eyes. "Qrow, I assure you that the last thing I will allow is for Remnant to be dragged into a war we do not need to be in. If anything, I would like to avoid conflict altogether."

"Hopefully, that won't happen," Glynda said, looking up from her scroll towards her colleagues. "Still, the sooner we find out what lies out there, the better. I hate this, not knowing what's going on. It makes me feel powerless."

Ozpin nodded sympathetically, saying, "I understand completely, Glynda. Regardless, we shouldn't be focusing entirely on the negatives. This is a momentous occasion, and we shouldn't squander it through fear."

Qrow and Glynda nodded in agreement at that, then together they continued walking through the hallways of Atlas Academy. The tense atmosphere that had plagued Remnant since the aliens' arrival could still be felt, but it was at the same time noticeably lesser. The students were still kept inside their rooms, however, and a few patrols of armed soldiers greeted them as they passed.

Eventually, they found themselves at an open courtyard in Atlas Academy, one that overlooked the rest of the city. Despite the frigid air they found themselves in, the three of them had to admit that the view was spectacular. They could see for miles all around them, from the bustling streets of Mantle beneath them to the icy tundra of Solitas just beyond the walls.

"Funny. The last time I looked out there, it seemed so big," Ozpin mused. "Now it just seems so small."

"Yeah, it does. Doesn't it?" Qrow muttered in agreement, with Glynda silently nodding. They all just stood there for the longest time, silently thinking to themselves on what would happen next. It was nearly impossible to guess; there were so many possibilities. Would first contact bring untold riches, peace, and prosperity, or plunge the world into unfathomable darkness and death? Ozpin did not know, and that scared him more than anything.

Then he and the others heard a door open behind them. They turned around and spotted an Atlesian solider, who stopped before Professor Ozpin and gave a professional nod.

"Professor, your presence is requested in the hospital," the soldier declared.

"May I ask why?" Ozpin asked, already hearing the whirling engines of a bullhead descending towards them.

"The wounded alien woke up, Professor, and I was told you were set to interrogate him," the soldier answered.

"Ah, I see. I wouldn't call it an 'interrogation,' though. Perhaps 'dialogue' or 'conversation' would be the more apt term."

"You can call it whatever you want. I'm just a grunt," the soldier joked with a slight smile. Ozpin chuckled in amusement, then he and his colleagues stepped onto the bullhead and sat down as it flew off towards the hospital. When they arrived, Doctor Polendina was waiting for them, not caring as gusts of wind from the bullhead's engines ruffled his hair and coat.

"Professors, this way, please," Pietro called out as they disembarked. They followed the portly doctor without a fuss, eager to escape the cold as quickly as possible.

"What's the situation?" Qrow asked, passing by teams of Atlesian personnel in the hospital hallways.

"The soldier woke up about thirty minutes ago," Pietro explained. "While we were waiting for you to arrive, a few members of my team attempted to start communicating with him. He has proven to be…uncooperative."

"'Uncooperative?' How?" Glynda asked just as they entered the hallway outside the room the soldier was being housed in. Teams of scientists, alongside General Ironwood, were looking inside. Rather than answer, Pietro simply pointed his arm towards the one-way window, where Doctor Watts was attempting, unsuccessfully, to talk with the alien.

"Once again, my name is Doctor Watts," Watts slowly stated, failing to disguise the angered scowl on his face while a series of pictures were being projected onto a wall behind him. "You are in the kingdom of Atlas. We mean you no harm."

"_Graves, Ethan. Sergeant. 90515-94152-EG,_" the alien coldly answered through an alien tongue, his steely-eyed gaze boring into Watts.

"Gagh…" Watts growled, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth before rubbing his hands through his hair. Ozpin raised an eyebrow then shifted a sideways glance towards Pietro, who shrugged.

"That is how," Pietro finally answered. "Every statement, and every question, meets the exact same response. We have no idea what it means, and he's shown no signs of letting up anytime soon."

"I see," Ozpin said, turning back to the scene.

"Can you say anything else?" Watts demanded. Almost as though in response, the alien repeated himself.

"_Graves, Ethan. Sergeant. 90515-94152-EG._"

Ozpin pursed his lips in thought, then he heard Ironwood chuckle. They looked at the general, silently demanding an explanation, and through a small smile Ironwood turned his attention towards them.

"I just figured it out," he revealed. "He's saying his name, over and over again, as an anti-interrogation tactic. He thinks he's being interrogated, so he's reacting accordingly."

"Well, when you have a grade-A asshole like Doctor Watts over there," Qrow pointed out as Watts appeared ready to start shouting at the man, "can't say I blame him."

"Arthur can be…difficult to get along with, admittedly," Pietro replied, a small frown on his face, "but it wasn't just him. I tried talking to him myself, too, and got the same result."

"Hmm," Ozpin hummed to himself. Apparently this was going to be more difficult than he thought. He then had an idea, and he looked at Pietro Polendina and asked, "Is there a kitchen nearby?"

"Uh, yes. Just down the hall and to the left," Pietro answered, slightly confused as to where Ozpin was going.

"Perfect. Qrow, I need you to go to the store and buy a few things for me," Ozpin asked, already walking towards the kitchen. Without so much as a complaint, Qrow complied as he walked out of the hospital and back out into the arctic air. At the same time, Ozpin sent a list to the veteran Huntsman while he prepared the kitchen. A few minutes later, a slightly snow-covered Qrow returned, carrying bags of various ingredients and food that Ozpin gratefully took.

In the meantime, Watts grew closer and closer to his wit's end. The alien soldier was proving to be completely stubborn, uncooperative, and a pain in his neck. In other words, a perfect soldier. Watts could tell that Ironwood was growing more and more impressed as time went on, which only added to his fury. His composure was worsening by the second, and now he was pacing back and forth in front of the soldier.

"Do you think this is funny, wasting our time?" Watts asked.

"_Graves, Ethan. Sergeant. 90515-94152-EG._"

"Of course, you say that. Greatest hits, here," Watts droned, letting out an annoyed sigh. He caught a glimpse of a faint smirk on the alien's bruised face that quickly went away, and Watts felt his eye twitch in anger. Before he could say anything else, though, the room's intercom came to life.

"Doctor Watts, let Professor Ozpin take it from here," General Ironwood ordered. Watts was more than happy to, hastily stomping out of the room and brushing past Professor Ozpin, not even caring about what the headmaster was holding in his hands.

Ozpin gave Watts' departing form a brief glance, then walked inside as the door closed behind him. In his hands, much to Ironwood's and the others' surprise, was a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk held in the other. Placing the food and drink on a table, he gently wheeled it next to the alien soldier while sitting down in front of him.

"You must be hungry," Ozpin said, placing his cane against the ground and holding it to his leg. "I'll admit it isn't the healthiest fare to serve an injured patient, but I hope you'll enjoy it regardless. Please, have some."

The soldier eyed it for a moment, then stared right back at Ozpin and stated, "_Graves, Ethan. Sergeant. 90515-94152-EG._"

"Yes, I figured you would say that," Ozpin replied, letting it wash over him without issue. He then pointed to the plate of cookies then to himself and asked, "May I?"

The soldier said nothing, remaining as stoic as humanly possible. Ozpin merely shrugged and took the silence as a yes, then took a single cookie out from the pile and took a small bite.

"Hmm," he gently hummed in satisfaction, letting the savory flavor fall upon his tongue. "I must admit, I've always had a fondness for chocolate. I hope your people have something like it. A world without chocolate sounds rather dull, if you ask me."

"_Graves, Ethan. Sergeant. 90515-94152-EG._"

"Yes, of course. I suppose whatever it is that you are saying is your name? Apologies for not understanding you," Ozpin said through an apologetic smile. "Despite both of us being human, our languages are completely different. Tell me, do your people have only one language, or do you have many?"

"_Graves, Ethan. Sergeant. 90515-94152-EG._"

"Ah, I see." Ozpin nodded as though he had gained some deep insight from the exact same response. He pulled a small box from his pocket and placed it on the table in front of him.

"I have something for you," Ozpin revealed, tapping his hand on top of the small box. "We recovered everything we could from your crash site. I'm sorry to say you were the only one who made it. You must have lost a few friends down there, and you have my sympathies."

"_Graves, Ethan. Sergeant. 90515—_" the soldier started, then cut himself off as Ozpin opened the box, revealing small metal tags attached to chains. The soldier stared at them silently, then looked up questioningly towards Ozpin.

"I don't know what your people call them," Ozpin gently began, "but here, on Remnant, we call them dog tags. Medallions meant to identify fallen soldiers. We recovered as many as we could, but I'm afraid some were completely lost."

The soldier gently picked up one of the dog tags, holding it by a chain as he read the engraved inscription. Ozpin continued, saying, "You were in dire straits when we found you. Verge of death, really. It was touch and go for a while, I must admit, but you pulled through. Part of me wonders if that was due to us or, instead, you."

The alien solider looked up at Ozpin questioningly, and the professor saw his chance and seized it.

"Neither of us are enemies. If anything, I should be thanking you." He pulled up an image of the village he believed the soldier actively protected, and judging by the knowing look he gave it, Ozpin was correct. He added, "This village would have been overrun by the Grimm, those creatures that attacked you. Hundreds would have died before reinforcements could arrive, but you and your men managed to pull them away and save it. You have our gratitude, and I believe there is much we can offer each other. So please, can we have an honest discussion?"

The soldier looked at Ozpin once again. A silence fell between them that felt like it lasted an eternity. Minutes seemed to stretch into hours, and Ozpin worried he might have reached too far too quickly. Finally, however, the soldier swallowed and leaned slightly forward.

"_I'm going to take a wild guess that you want to talk. Alright, you have my attention,_" he said using alien words that were completely different than what he said before. Ozpin took a moment to register the difference in phrases, then as their guest reached over to the plate of cookies, he smiled and nodded.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the latest chapter of Dust and Echoes! Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for all their help in bringing this story to life. The UNSC and Remnant are now, finally, properly talking to each other. Where things go from here will be revealed in due time.

Now, before I get to the Q&A, I want to say something. Over the past few days, I have been getting spammed by guest reviews asking for when the next update is coming. I like guest reviews, and I want to allow them, but at the same time I do not want to receive ten reviews within the span of two days all asking variations of "when is the next chapter coming out." As much as I love writing fan fiction, this is still a hobby of mine, and I'll tell you right now that the story will be updated when it is ready. Requests for a status update will not speed up the process. So please, do not ask in your reviews for status updates. If I keep getting bombarded with them like I had been, I may be forced to turn off guest reviews which is something I do want want to do.

Anyway, now onto the Q&A:

**NRF: **I'll be delving into that when the story gets to that point. Rest assured, that will be brought up, and I do have a reason for why things will go the way they go.

**onearmedduck:** Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. As to your question, soon. I won't specify any more than that.

**I Am The Prophet: **You will see when it happens.

**Shadowstorm-Vash: **Thank you. One of the things I really want to get right is the feel of the UNSC, the Covenant, and everything else from the Halo side of the crossover. That includes the ODSTs, and I want them to feel like the super-badass spec-ops soldiers that they are. As for Sergeant Johnson, he's coming.

**Knighthunter911700: **Luckily, as you can see, it didn't turn out all bad. If anything, things are looking up. At least Ironwood is no longer acting trigger happy. And you are correct, I do not believe Remnant has gunpowder as they likely just use powdered Dust for it. In fact, they use Dust for a lot of things, which will be shown more in depth as time goes on.

**Guardian788: **Thank you, I'm glad you feel that way. As for the cliffhangers, in this particular arc it simply came across that way due to how the story was structured. Luckily, this chapter ended on a much more final note, which was on purpose as this is the half-way point of the first arc. The First Contact Arc, if you will. We have several arcs planned for the story, some of which will be faster than others.

**SulliMike23: **The answer to that will be revealed in due time.

**daggercloak000: **Don't worry, I won't. ODSTs may not be SPARTANs or Huntsmen, but they're still badasses and I intend to show that.

**Vein Bloodborne: **Luckily, things turned out pretty well.

**Dragon lord Syed 101: **Oh trust me, Cole's reaction to how crazy Remnant can be will say a lot. And yes, Qrow will need a drink.

That's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Let me know what you guys think and have a nice day! Stay safe!


	8. Face to Face

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 7: Face to Face**

[~][~]

_UNSC Everest, Valiant-class Super-Heavy Cruiser_

_Lunar Orbit, Unknown Terrestrial Planet, Unknown System_

_November 29__th__, 2540 01:45 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

When John-117 arrived back onto the Everest, it was a quiet, somber affair. None of his temporary squadmates said a word on the entire flight back, and as soon as he disembarked he calmly walked straight to the bridge to speak to Admiral Cole. In his mind, he wondered if the mission would be considered a failure. By all accounts, they more than got actionable intel on the ground below. But at the cost of the lives of his men. He hadn't received reports back from the others, but he knew in his gut that other teams suffered the same fate. The casualties for the teams without SPARTAN commandoes would undoubtedly be even worse, and he didn't like to think about it. But he did so all the same, just as he went over every single scenario his team would have faced.

Could he have done anything different? John knew he most certainly could have, the most obvious being that they stay hidden and not do anything. By following Cole's orders to the letter, John felt that all of his squad would have survived, while hundreds of innocent civilians would have been slaughtered instead. Eaten alive by what could only be described as monsters. No one, not even the Covenant, deserved that, so he knew that, morally speaking, stepping in was the right thing to do. Perhaps they could even leverage their intervention in future diplomacy, point to it to show that they come in peace. But John didn't know if that was merely his subconscious trying to justify the unnecessary risk he put his squad under or not, and he clenched his fist in self-recrimination.

When he finally entered the bridge, he saw Admiral Cole standing over the holotable, with Hannibal projected next to him. John gave a crisp salute, both due to Cole being his superior officer and a person he respected immensely. Even more than his own SPARTANs, Admiral Cole was the greatest weapon humanity had against the Covenant, managing to win each of his engagements against their technologically superior fleet. Albeit at great cost, but that was something all of the UNSC knew all too well.

"At ease, Master Chief," Cole said without even needing to turn around. John did as instructed and stood straight up, allowing Cole to turn around and look into his golden reflective visor. Cole's face was weary, the stress of the current situation adding onto the stress built up over the course of years. He looked tired, and John's sympathy for the man grew.

"Sir, I'm here for an in-person debriefing, and to subject myself for disciplinary action," John declared, and Admiral Cole raised an eyebrow.

"I can understand the first, but why the second?" Cole asked, already knowing the answer.

"I skirted the words of your orders which resulted in a fatality," John answered, and Cole nodded.

"Yes, of course." Cole nodded, then looked at the Master Chief with a cold, hard stare. "I'm aware of what you did, Spartan. Your orders were to go onto the planet and recon the terrain then report back your findings without being seen by the natives. Instead, you and your team decided to intervene in an attack on a native village from the planet's hostile fauna. An ODST died because of that."

"I understand, sir," John somberly replied, already feeling the punishment that was about to be inflicted upon him. Would he be demoted? Stripped of his command over the SPARTANs? In his opinion, that would be the worst punishment they could give, but he kept himself professionally stoic as Cole took in a breath.

"But, in light of the situation, I'm going to let you and the other teams off with a warning," Cole revealed, surprising the Master Chief.

"Sir? I don't understand," John admitted. "I disobeyed your orders."

"You disobeyed the letter of my orders, not the spirit," Cole argued. "We were monitoring your position from orbit, and your team took great care to not be seen directly by the natives. Whether or not it worked remains to be seen, but even then, none of us could have predicted those…monsters to be down there, much less humans."

"Are we certain they're human, sir?" John asked, and Hannibal nodded.

"We've sequenced the DNA samples you and the other teams provided," Hannibal answered. "We even managed to obtain a few relatively intact bodies. Preliminary results have shown they are, indeed, human. It'll be another hour until the final results come in, at which point we'll have more answers."

"With that in mind," Cole continued, "it only makes sense that upon seeing them in danger, you and the other teams would step in. We trained you to protect human lives, and that's exactly what you tried to do. In a way, it's commendable. Still, do not do this again, Spartan. Next time, I will not be so lenient."

John was silent for a split second, then nodded. "I understand. Thank you, sir."

Cole nodded back, then turned back to his holotable. "You're dismissed. Get some rest, Spartan. I have a feeling the next few days will be quite hectic."

"Of course," John said, then prepared to turn around but stopped. He looked back at his superior office and asked, "If I may make a suggestion, sir?"

"About what, Master Chief?" Cole asked.

"About returning to the planet surface," John clarified. He knew they would be going back down there, and Cole knew it too. When the Admiral nodded, John continued, "Those monsters down there were highly resistant to small arms fire. Only concentrated fire and heavy ordinance affected them. When we go back down there, a few fireteams will not be enough to ensure proper security."

"You're recommending full deployment," Cole declared, knowing exactly where John was going.

"Not entirely," John replied with a small shake of his head. "That might send the wrong message. But I would recommend at least a hundred marines outfitted with assault rifles, heavy weapons, and accompanied by ample air support and Warthog-mounted weapons. ODSTs should also be on standby for rapid insertion at a moment's notice. Anything less would be inviting a slaughter."

Cole nodded and hummed, then said, "I appreciate the advice, Master Chief. Dismissed."

Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 crisply saluted, then turned on his heels and walked out of the bridge.

* * *

_November 29__th__, 11:15 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

The entire ship was thawed out and awake, now. As such, the mess bay was completely active, bustling with marines as they ate with their squads and gossiped among each other. The rest of the ODSTs were awake as well, most of them silent as they mourned the loss of their comrades. John and the rest of Blue Team remained separate from the rest of them, not comfortable interacting with non-SPARTANs. They were still clad in their MJOLNIR armor, sans helmet, offering the marines a rare look at what a SPARTAN-II actually looked like.

"God, do they always look so pale?" a few of them muttered as they glanced at the super soldiers, but Blue Team paid them no mind. Instead, they focused on eating their rations in relative silence. They weren't particularly appetizing, but they were better than nothing.

"Those freaks got our friends killed," an angry ODST hissed from the opposite side of the room, John's augmented sense of hearing picking him up as though he was standing right next to them. "They're not even doing anything, just sitting there by themselves."

"Knock it off," another ODST countered, John recognizing it as the voice of Sergeant Li. "We knew what we were doing. If I was in charge, I would have done the exact same thing."

"And it wasn't 058 that led us into those wasps. If anything, she saved our lives," another ODST, whom Linda recognized as Jameson, added. "She was like a god with that sniper rifle. Damn bugs never even stood a chance."

"Yet she wasn't fast enough to save your LT."

"Neither were we, and no one could have predicted that would happen. Blaming her isn't fair and you know it."

Their conversation continued like that, but John turned his attention towards Linda. She was as stoic as ever, but he recognized the look in her eyes. She agreed with them, felt that she should have been fast enough to prevent Lieutenant Gamal's death. John focused on her, silently telling her that it wasn't her fault. If anything, he felt she should be praised for getting everyone else out successfully. Thanks to their years of training and fighting side by side, Linda understood him perfectly and drew a smile across her lips with her finger while nodding.

John nodded back, then turned his head as he noticed Lieutenant Kalib enter the mess hall. Unlike before, she didn't even spare him a glance as she silently walked over to grab her food, then sat down at an empty table and began eating. The other ODSTs glared at her, and John knew why. It was well known what the recon teams encountered on the planet's surface, both the humans and the outright monsters that preyed on them. Out of all the teams sent down, only Kalib's saw a native village attacked and did nothing. All they did was watch, then once the monsters left moved in and recovered what they could before extracting. John ignored the angry mutters the ODSTs were sending her way, with words like 'coward' and other less glamorous terms thrown about, and instead focused on the thousand-yard stare she was giving her food instead of eating it. He recognized that look. It had been on far too many marines for him to count, and already he knew what to do. His SPARTANs did as well, and as such did nothing to stop him as John stood up and walked over to Lieutenant Kalib's table.

She barely even acknowledged his presence as he sat down across from her, and for a few moments all there was between them was silence.

"Lieutenant Kalib," John greeted, hoping for a response. She didn't give it at first, then slowly moved her head to give him a blank stare.

"Master Chief," she quietly said, then turned back to her food. John frowned slightly, already seeing the signs of intense trauma. He had to handle this delicately. After a moment to collect his thoughts, John rested his arms against the table.

"I know what you and your squad did," John confirmed, and Kalib flinched, "and I'm not going to say whether or not you did the right thing. That isn't for me to decide. What I can say is that you kept your squad alive with no casualties. You followed Cole's orders to the letter and accomplished the mission. That's all anyone could ask of you."

Kalib remained silent for a moment, looking down at the table. John was worried that he may have accidentally said the wrong things, as he was unfortunately prone to do with non-SPARTANs, but before he could say anything else she began to speak again.

"There were over three-hundred people in that village," Kalib whispered, her voice seemingly echoing across the room like a sonic boom. "Parents, grandparents, even children. All of them were human, even if some had animal parts on their bodies. They were just…living their lives. A few kids playing in the street as their moms and dads watched over them, guards keeping an eye outside their walls. It was peaceful. Then those…things, those _monsters_ showed up out of nowhere. Everything turned into chaos so fast. I'd been getting the reports, I knew just how dangerous those things were, and…"

Kalib gulped, biting back tears, then muttered, "I was in a position to help them. We could have taken a few out, at least. Maybe even saved the village. But there were so _many_, and they didn't notice us as they slaughtered those villagers. I…I chose my squad over them, and I had to watch as every single person in that village was hunted down and killed."

She released a solemn laugh, tears running down her face. "There was a kid, couldn't have been more than two years old. Had little horns like a cow coming out of his head. I saw him and his mom try to escape, an-and they were both eaten. Got cut off by a wolf thing and devoured, just that that."

She snapped her fingers in emphasis, adding, "By the time they left, and it was safe enough to go in, there was hardly anything left. You could only tell somebody lived there because of all the blood. Heh, it was a miracle we got bodies at all."

She shot her bloodshot eyes towards the Master Chief, shouting, "So yeah, I kept my squad alive and accomplished the mission by throwing three-hundred innocent people to the wolves! You tell me whether or not that was the right call!"

John was silent, as was the rest of the entire mess bay. Kalib, openly sobbing, croaked, "Well?! _Tell me!_"

John remained quiet, not knowing how to answer. Then, he softly admitted, "I don't know."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's what I thought," Kalib replied, then returned back to her food. The message was clear; his presence was no longer welcome. With a heavy heart, John stood up and left the sobbing ODST behind, silently sending a message to the bridge requesting that Lieutenant Kalib and her team be taken off of the active duty roster for the foreseeable future. She was in no condition to fight anytime soon, and John could only hope that she eventually would be again.

* * *

_November 30__th__, 2540 17:40 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

The bridge of the _Everest_ was awash with activity, technicians and ensigns working at their stations as they reported on the ship's status. Repairs were still underway, but until they managed to make it back to UNSC space and a refit yard, they would have to make do on their own. At the very least they were able to send a comm buoy out, detailing their location as well as what they had discovered. With any luck, UNSC reinforcements would arrive within the next two weeks.

"Sir, all marines and army troopers are at operational status, ready to depart on your command," Hannibal reported, popping back into existence from his holotable.

"Good," Admiral Cole replied, folding his arms behind his back. "Have we received any transmission from the natives?"

"Not yet, sir, but we have been picking up more chatter," Hannibal answered.

"Can you understand any of it?"

"Not yet. At our current rate, I expect it to take a month at the very least," Hannibal admitted. "I have been able to determine more about the natives from the samples we obtained, however."

"Are the bodies still intact?" he asked, and Hannibal nodded.

"As per your orders, Admiral," the Smart AI reported. Cole nodded, turning his attention back to the holotable. He had given very specific orders to the medical staff onboard the _Everest_ to ensure that the bodies remained as intact as possible. These weren't Covenant they were dealing with, and returning the bodies would be a good token to show their goodwill. At the same time, they needed to know more about these people, and the recovered bodies allowed a perfect opportunity to do so.

"What have you found?" Cole asked, and Hannibal brought up a series of images onto the holotable in response. They showed various DNA sequences and analysis on various samples of muscles, bones and more.

"We were able to recover five mostly intact bodies," Hannibal explained. "Three male, two female, one of whom had a pair of canine ears on the top of her head, with their bone ages ranging from sixteen years of age to sixty-two. A small sample size, admittedly, but it does have a decent enough spread to make approximate assumptions about their biology."

"I don't like assumptions, Hannibal," Cole pointed out with a frown.

"Neither do I, Admiral, but until we establish a more direct dialogue, assumptions are all we have to work with," Hannibal declared. Neither he nor Cole liked being left in the dark, but this was all they had to go on, so they might as well make the most of it.

"Well, it can't be helped. What have you found?" Cole asked, and Hannibal enlarged the DNA sequences obtained from the bodies.

"Biologically speaking, they are _Homo sapiens_," Hannibal revealed, "however I would not classify them as _Homo sapiens sapiens._"

"What does that mean?" one of the ensigns overhearing the conversation asked under his breath, which Hannibal easily picked up and moved to explain.

"I will not delve completely into human taxonomy, but it is a topic relevant to this discussion," Hannibal explained. "Modern humans, scattered across all of our colonies, belong to the _Homo sapiens_ species, specifically the _Homo sapiens sapiens _subspecies. Other subspecies included _Homo sapiens neanderthalis_ and _Home sapiens idaltu_, although there is still considerable debate as to whether or not those actually qualify and are not instead separate species. Regardless, from what I can see, I believe that the population of humans native to this planet would certainly qualify as subspecies of _Homo sapiens_. Their DNA and biological makeup matches our own almost exactly, but there are enough taxological differences to justify the classification."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say there are two subspecies living down there," Cole noted, glancing at the image of the roughly thirty-years-old female with black wolf-like ears poking out of the top of her head.

"You would be correct," Hannibal confirmed. "Both of these subspecies are biologically compatible with each other, yet the female in question has additional canine DNA interwoven into hers, resulting in her having a dual auditory system in place."

"Those extra ears worked?" Admiral Cole asked, and Hannibal nodded.

"Her eyes also contained a higher amount of rod cells than would be considered normal. This meant that she had what would have amounted to natural night vision as well as highly sensitive hearing. We isolated the gene those ears and extra rod cells came from, but strangely, judging by the reports from the field, the expression of that gene is highly varied. There were reports of individuals with horns on their head, different noses, even the normal human ears being entirely replaced with another animal's. I do not know if all of those specimens would be considered separate subspecies in their own right, or if the gene that carried the, for lack of a better word, animal DNA is highly mutagenic."

"I can understand why the 'wolf-girl' would be considered a separate subspecies," Cole noted, "but what makes the others so different? From what I can see, they look exactly like us."

"You would be correct, however upon closer analysis I have identified several key characteristics that led to my conclusion," Hannibal continued, enlarging the muscle and bone samples. "For starters, their muscles are much denser and more tightly packed than that of a non-genetically augmented human being. Not to an overwhelming degree, such as a sangheili, but their normal civilians are about as strong as one of our marines. Judging by the muscle density, at least. Their bones are also sturdier and denser, filled with more calcium per square centimeter than our own. Their neurons are more receptive to electrical signals, and the walls of their hearts and the rest of their circulatory systems are more robust than our own."

"They're stronger than us," Cole noted, seeing exactly where Hannibal was going.

"As well as faster and more durable," Hannibal added. "There are many factors that could have possibly gone into this evolutionary development, but I feel that the most likely cause are the highly-aggressive wildlife they have to live with."

"I wouldn't call those things 'wildlife,'" Cole insisted, feeling that there was nothing alive about them at all, "but I can definitely see how they would drive evolutionary change. "

"Precisely. Their presence and extreme hostility likely resulted in only those capable of surviving confrontations with them having offspring. Compound that over time through countless generations, and eventually you'll end up with a separate subspecies."

"Like the difference between a brown bear and a grizzly bear," Cole noted with a small nod. Both were part of the same species, but a difference in environmental conditions led to the two separate populations diverging into separate subspecies. Exactly like what appeared to be going on with the planet below. "Still, how could evolution cause one to grow wolf-ears?"

"That I would not have an answer to," Hannibal admitted. "If I had to guess, whatever brought these humans onto the planet caused that particular mutation to occur."

"Hmm," Cole hummed to himself, scratching his chin in thought. Genetic engineering was certainly possible, and while the UNSC had not decided to graft animal parts onto people in favor of helping to adjust people to new planetary environments, they had the capability to do so. Someone else could have easily done it. For the life of him he couldn't understand why, but that was something he and the rest of humanity had been asking themselves quite often regarding the actions of aliens for the past decade and a half. Was probably best not to question it and instead worry on where to go next.

It was then at the comm station beeped, prompting Cole and everyone else on the bridge to shoot their attention towards it. The ensign assigned to it was already pressing the appropriate keys to bring the transmission on screen.

"Looks like they finally responded," Cole noted.

"Looks like a video," the ensign reported. "Bringing it up now."

The images Hannibal had brought up previously were quickly replaced by a single window where the video was being displayed. It was showing footage taken from an aerial vehicle as it flew across a snowy tundra, which Cole immediately recognized as belonging to Continent Beta. To his displeasure, he saw the crash site of Pelican Hamlet 559. It was completely wrecked, its titanium armor viciously shredded. Only a dissipating black mist coming from the downed spacecraft told him what could have caused the damage. Weapons and bodies were scattered all around the crash site, along with copious amounts of blood. When the aircraft landed and soldiers disembarked, Cole understood immediately what was going on.

"They recovered the crash site," Cole stated as he watched the soldiers and what appeared to be scientists gather various pieces of UNSC equipment. While he knew ONI would not be pleased with this development, and part of him wasn't either, he had to think pragmatically. Of course they would have investigated. If they hadn't, he would have wondered what was wrong with them. At the same time, Cole's attention was brought to one man among the natives in particular who stood out from the crowd. Rather than wearing armor like he would have expected, or even dedicated winter clothing, he was instead wearing a simple grey dress shirt with black pants, a few rings on his fingers, and a faint stubble along his face. Scruffy was probably the best word he could use to describe him, but Cole could not understand how he was able to withstand the cold without adequate protection. Was there something he was missing?

"What's that on his back? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a half of a sword," another ensign, also watching the video, asked as the scruffy man joined a group of natives gathered around a body of an ODST. While the other natives were being more cautious, this man instead chose to simply take off the helmet to see for himself what the ODST looked like, and just like themselves, the natives were visibly shocked that the ODST was human.

"That's one thing in common with us, at least," Cole noted as the soldiers and researchers prepared to carefully recover the body and bring it over to the nearest aircraft, of which there were several. The scruffy man, whom Cole began to assume was some kind of specialist in their ranks, walked over to a large rocky mound in the center of the crash site. He stopped to inspect something buried in the snow, unfolding the weapon on his back and revealing it to be a sword that he then planted into the snow.

"Why would they make a folding sword?" Cole asked to no one in particular, thinking that perhaps those monsters once again led them down a different path than their own. His frown then deepened as the man wiped the snow away to reveal a buried ODST. He was once again reminded of how his decision to send people down there resulted in the deaths of good men and women. Lives that didn't need to be taken.

Cole was half tempted to close his eyes and sigh as the scruffy man stood up and prepared to call out to his comrades, only for the man to stop as something also buried in the snow stirred. He turned his head to the side just as a large sabertooth tiger-like monster burst out of the snow, fully prepared to sink its massive fangs into the victim. Cole was worried for a split second, then that worry turned into astonishment as he heard several distinctive shots from an M6S pistol fire off. The body of the monster recoiled as the bullets slammed into its head, followed by the specialist decapitating it with one swipe of his sword.

"It…can't be…" Cole muttered in amazement as he and everyone else, including the native specialist, shot their attention towards the buried ODST, who was miraculously alive and pointing a raised pistol where the now evaporating monster fell. As the ODST fell unconscious, the man who found him was already yelling for help, and Cole watched as the soldiers and researchers carefully extracted the man from the snow, tried their best to stem his wounds, then carry him to the nearest aircraft for extraction.

The video fast forwarded, and now they were inside what he could only assume to be a hospital. There they saw the ODST laid on a hospital bed, his body covered in bruises and wounds that the native doctors were desperately trying to treat. A heartbeat monitor was going off to the side, showing that he was alive despite all the tubes poking out of him. More importantly, however, Cole was able to recognize the man's face, and his eyes widened.

"That's Sergeant Graves… He's alive," Cole announced, feeling a smile break out. "They found him and tried to treat him!"

Then the video fast forwarded again, and Cole had to revise his previous statement. They didn't try to treat him, they _did_.

"_Graves, Ethan. Sergeant. 90515-94152-EG_," Graves flatly stated to a visibly agitated scientist who was clearly attempting to ask him questions. Each statement resulted in the same response, and the smile on Cole's face grew along with a faint chuckle. After a few minutes of watching the same exchange over and over again, it finally skipped to a new section, where Graves, now sitting fully upright, was staring into the camera.

"_Yeah, yeah. I get what you want me to do. Talk into the camera_," Graves complained as a doctor brought in some food to leave on a tray next to him. Graves nodded towards the woman, then he cleared his throat and looked straight into the camera. "_Admiral Cole, this is Sergeant Ethan Graves. I know that you and the rest of the _Everest_ must have assumed I was dead, but as you can see, I survived. My injuries were extensive, and judging by the x-rays these people have given me, I suffered a few broken bones, bruised organs, some internal bleeding,… Point is, everything hurts like Hell right now._"

To add emphasis, Graves flexed his arm, only to wince in pain and force himself to stop. A pair of doctors immediately rushed towards him, but Graves waved them off.

"_It's been like that for the past few hours. I've suffered worse, though. I'll be back in action in a few weeks._" Graves frowned and pulled up a box on his lap. He opened it, revealing the contents to be dog tags. "_The rest of my squad didn't make it, and I must insist that you allow me to write the condolence letters to their families when I return._"

Cole immediately nodded, knowing that Graves was unable to see him at the moment but feeling the need to do so anyway. Graves continued, saying, "_These people, as I'm sure you've noticed, are completely human. A few have extra bits for some reason. One of the doctors here has a lizard tail, believe it or not. Saw him scratch his nose with it. Other than a moustached asshole, they're pretty decent. A little overbearing, but I can't complain, outside of not being able to understand a single word they say. They can't understand me either, which I guess they're hoping you and I can fix somehow. They tried to use a bunch of pictures to explain what they wanted me to do, and that was a challenge."_

Graves looked to the side then back at the camera and said, "_They saved my life, Admiral, and they're treating me like a patient and not a prisoner. I mean, I'm most definitely both, but they're not trying to interrogate me or anything. And don't worry, I won't be revealing anything to them if they try. I don't know when they're going to send this, but when you get it, I volunteer myself to act as an intermediary to develop a way for us to communicate. They managed to recover a working ODST helmet, which Hannibal should be able to interface with from the _Everest."

Graves held up the helmet in question, then placed it back down on a nearby table. "_I'll be waiting for your response. Graves, out._"

The video ended, and the bridge was silent as everyone shifted their attention towards Admiral Cole. He forced himself to remain calm and stoic, then he folded his arms behind his back.

"Hannibal, relay with that helmet and get us talking with our soldier again," he ordered, turning around to walk out of the bridge.

"Yes, Admiral," Hannibal replied. "What will you be doing?"

"I believe that this announcement needs to be delivered to the ODSTs in person," Cole explained, not breaking his stride as he walked past the automatic doors that opened and shut behind him.

* * *

_December 2__nd__, 2540 08:05 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar) _

_Military Hospital, Continent Beta_

Graves had to admit, when he heard Hannibal's voice come through on the helmet's comms he teared up slightly. He maintained his professional demeanor, however, and focused on the task at hand. Now that he was once again in contact with his superiors and the UNSC, his R&R was officially over. Cole had specifically given him standing orders to assist the natives in developing a way to communicate, while at the same time ensuring nothing pertaining to sensitive information was shared. That meant he would be light on specifics, especially regarding the locations of Earth and all her colonies. He was already going to do that, but after Cole specifically gave the order, he was going to put extra care in following it to the letter. The last thing he wanted was to violate the Cole Protocol while serving the man who made it. It would be a blemish on his record, to say the _least_.

He was also given specific orders to not mention the Covenant at this time. That was something Graves readily agreed with. Trying to tell these people about a group of genocidal aliens who would love nothing more than to burn them out of existence just for being human would not be the best thing to reveal during first contact. The smart thing to do was to be patient and only share that information when a proper dialogue was started. After that, he had no idea what would happen.

Graves' thoughts were broken when the door opened once again, and the white-haired civilian whom he had been 'talking' to over the past few days returned. In his hands was another plate of food, which Graves eagerly took and began eating.

"Have to say," he said after swallowing a bite of a sandwich and a drink of water, "this stuff beats MREs any day of the week."

The civilian, whom Graves had taken to calling 'the official,' didn't understand a single word he was saying, but was able to tell he was making a joke regardless. He smiled and shook his head, then said something Graves couldn't pretend to make out. For the next few minutes, the official patiently waited for the ODST to finish eating, and once he was done he placed the now empty plate on an adjacent table and sat upright to look at the man eye to eye. His counterpart nodded, then held out a piece of paper and a pen, which Graves immediately took. Then he rotated the helmet towards the official and himself, turning on the built-in camera feed to allow the _Everest_ to watch and listen in.

Until they managed to find a way to actually talk to one another through words, using pictures was going to be the best path forward. At first, it was proving difficult. Despite their similarities as people, their languages were completely different. They had both an alphabet and writing system, but it was so markedly different than what he was used to that it was impossible to make out what was being said. Then the idea of drawing pictures came along, and while that was working, progress was slow. Too slow, in his opinion, but that was what he had to work with. There was one thing, however, that was proving to be a boon to a translation. As it turned out, not only did this planet have humans on it, it also had many of the same animals native to Earth as well.

"Dog," Graves said as the official showed a picture of a small canine, which looked remarkably like a corgi. He spelled out the word as well, which the official took and read over.

"…_Dog,_" the official slowly repeated while pointing at the picture, and Graves nodded. He nodded back, then pointed at Graves and stated, "_Human._"

"Yes, human. Like you," Graves replied. It was then that the helmet flashed as a communication from the _Everest_ came in, and the ODST immediately took the helmet and placed it back on.

"This is Graves," he declared. A moment later, he saw Hannibal's face appear on the top right corner of his HUD.

"_Sergeant, I have an idea on how to facilitate communications,_" Hannibal reported.

"I'm all ears, _Everest_. Lay it on me."

"_I want you to take the words you and the natives have already discussed,_" the Smart AI explained, "_as well as the English alphabet. Then, I want you to translate those words and letters into binary._"

Graves thought for a moment, then said, "What's that supposed to do?

"_The natives of this planet utilize binary code as the basis of their computer software, much like we do,_" Hannibal explained. "_By translating our language into binary, they can then translate it into their own. This is only a first step and won't be including punctuation, symbols, and so forth, but by making this rudimentary translation, we can then start a proper dialogue and I can take the rest of the translation from there._"

"Alright, I can see how that can help," Graves admitted. "There's only one problem: I don't know binary."

"_We will be sending you translations momentarily,_" Hannibal clarified. "_Please standby._"

"Acknowledged," Graves replied, then patiently waited as the data was sent into the helmet.

When the message finally came through, Graves took another piece of paper and began writing the English alphabet. The official, and undoubtedly the others watching from behind the one-way mirror, watched closely as Graves finished. Then, underneath each letter, he wrote as cleanly as possible the binary code translation for each letter. They had already managed to 'translate' the numerals each of them used, and he thanked his lucky stars that they used a base-ten number system like they did. That would make this much easier. At first, the official was confused, but that only lasted a moment before his eyes widened in understanding. He quickly nodded and motioned his arm towards the mirror for more pieces of paper as well as the photographs they had already translated. From the quick peek Graves got as the door opened, the other side was awash with activity, and he felt a small smile break out across his face.

Finally, they were getting somewhere.

* * *

_December 13__th__, 69 A.G.W, 1:15 P.M (Remnant Calendar)_

_Atlas Academy, Kingdom of Atlas, Solitas_

"They are called the UNSC, which stands for United Nations Space Command," Professor Ozpin reported to the assembled councils from every kingdom in the world, and then some. They had arrived just this morning, and Ozpin felt they had gathered enough information about their visitors to start talking about what to do next. "From what we have been able to determine, they are the military and exploratory arm of the UEG, United Earth Government."

"Earth? What is that? They're not talking about actual dirt, right?" one of Vale's councilors asked, and Ironwood shook his head.

"We believe Earth is the name of their homeworld," Ironwood explained. "When we attempted to inquire further, however, Sergeant Graves refused to divulge any specific information. All we know is that it's a planet and humans live there."

"Sergeant Graves?"

"The alien we have in custody," Ironwood clarified. "'Sergeant' is his rank while his actual name is Graves. At least, that's what we believe. For the life of me, I couldn't imagine naming a child 'Sergeant.'"

A small round of chuckles went around the room, amused at Ironwood's joke. Others, however, were not, and one of Vacuo's councilors leaned forward. "Why did this 'UNSC' come here, especially in their current state?"

"According to Graves, it was an accident," Ozpin reported. "Their ship had sustained damage and they were forced to randomly jump into something called 'slipspace,' which is how they manage to travel faster-than-light. When they arrived in our system, they detected the CCT transmissions and came to investigate. We all know what happened after that."

"If they sustained damage," the councilor shot back, "then why did they decide going somewhere random was the correct decision? Why not head straight back to this 'Earth' of theirs?"

"At the moment, we don't know," Ozpin admitted with a sigh. "We can only guess at this point."

"Frankly, we need to move from guessing to knowing as soon as possible," another councilor, this one from Mistral, argued. "The only reason I can fathom them making a random FTL jump, if I'm understanding the terminology correctly, is that they didn't want to be followed. The question is, followed by what? More importantly, will their arrival here, accidental or otherwise, bring their problems to us? We have enough problems here as is, and the last thing we need is someone else's."

"Rest assured, Councilor, that once we establish a proper dialogue with the UNSC, we _will_ get to the bottom of what exactly transpired," Ozpin insisted.

It was obvious to him, as well as Ironwood and the others, that Sergeant Graves was not being entirely truthful about their arrival. While it was immensely frustrating, at the same time, Ozpin understood why his superiors might order him to be secretive. But Graves being secretive wasn't what had him concerned the most. Indeed, it was the secrets themselves. What were the aliens hiding from them, and why? For the sake of everyone on Remnant, they needed to know as soon as possible without jeopardizing the most important event in Remnant's history.

"Moving on," Pietro Polendina cut in, adjusting his glasses and bringing everyone's attention onto him, "their ship's captain has requested a face-to-face meeting here on Remnant."

"Splendid," Leonardo Lionheart said with a smile. "That will make things much easier. Did they say where they wanted to meet?"

"And how are we actually going to talk to them?" a councilor from Vacuo asked.

"My team and I are modifying an ADA unit to act as a translator. A prototype should be ready in a few days," Pietro explained. "As for where, they are actually allowing us to choose the venue. It appears they want to be as respectful as possible. They did, however, request that they be allowed to bring an armed escort."

"A request that I accepted," Ironwood said.

"You're willing to let an alien military land on our planet?" one of Atlas' councilor's asked, raising an eyebrow. "Forgive me, James, but I didn't think you'd be for that."

"Normally, I wouldn't," Ironwood admitted, "but given how disastrous their engagements with the Grimm were, Professor Ozpin and I felt that an exception could be made. We did insist that we bring forces of our own, however, including a few Atlesian cruisers to ensure proper security. They accepted that request as well, and all we need now is a date and location."

"Could we even stop them if we wanted to?" someone asked, and the room fell silent. It was a question they all had on their minds, but it wasn't something they wanted to think about.

"At this point in time, they are being peaceful," Ozpin pointed out. "In fact, they've been more than peaceful. They've been helpful. I believe it would be best to focus on that instead."

The councilors nodded in acceptance, some more so than others. Both Ozpin and Ironwood understood their hesitation. They felt the same way, but the desire for a peaceful dialogue outweighed their concerns. Besides, given what they knew of the UNSC's ground forces, they felt confident enough to ensure everything would go smoothly.

"Well then, I guess I can understand their concerns. So long as we take the necessary precautions, I see no harm in allowing it," a Vale councilor declared. "Within reason, of course."

"I couldn't agree more," Ironwood replied, folding his arms behind his back. "With that in mind, we should discuss where this meeting will take place. I believe Atlas would provide a prime location for it."

"Oh? Why is that?" a councilor from Vale asked.

"Atlas has taken the lead on facilitating First Contact ever since it started," Ironwood explained. "Beyond that, the Atlesian military would be more than able to provide ample security for the meeting. It makes the most logical sense for Atlas to host the delegation."

"And thereby tell the aliens who, exactly, is the face of Remnant. Your kingdom, as it would be."

Ironwood frowned, along with the Atlesian councilors, and said, "That is not what I am trying to imply. I am simply being as logical as possible about this."

"As am I. Whoever hosts this meeting will, intentionally or not, present themselves as the de facto leader of Remnant, thereby implying the other kingdoms are not as important." The Vale councilor frowned, as well as his counterparts. "Atlas has taken the lead thus far, and we are more than grateful for that. But the kingdoms are supposed to be equal to one another, and if we are to show that, it is imperative that another kingdom hosts the UNSC and not Atlas."

"In other words, Vale," a Vacuo councilor interjected.

"Yes," another Vale councilor confirmed. "By all accounts, Vale is the political and economic heart of Remnant. The current world order stemmed from it after the Great War, after all, and what better way to show the aliens that then by hosting it there?"

"Vacuo won that war too, in case you've forgotten," Vacuo's councilor shot back with a fervent pointing of a finger. "For centuries, the other kingdoms have either looked down on my people or outright exploited us. You're talking about maintaining the image of the kingdoms being equal, and by hosting it in Vacuo, we show that."

"Mistral has just as much of a claim," Mistral's councilors insisted. "We're the largest and most populous kingdom in the world. There are 760 million people living on the planet, with 300 million of them living in Mistral alone. That's nearly half the entire global population. Only Vale comes close at 250. Compared to that, Atlas only has 125 and Vacuo a measly 70 million. Menagerie's 30 million inhabitants are a non-factor here, as they're not even a kingdom. If we want to be truly representative of what the majority of Remnant's people is like, Mistral offers the best chance to do so."

The room quickly descended into petty squabbling as the assembled group bickered among themselves as to which kingdom should host the aliens. Ozpin frowned, remaining silent as Ironwood and Lionheart attempted to restore order. They all had accurate points, in Ozpin's opinion. Atlas was, militarily speaking, the strongest kingdom in the world and had taken the lead thus far, meaning it was probably the safest place to host it. At the same time, Vale was, indeed, the economic and political heart of Remnant, a position it had held since the end of the Great War 80 years prior, and its central geographic position would help to accommodate all of the delegations. Mistral did, indeed, have the largest population in the world, meaning a truly representative sample would have to include them in some way. Yet putting it in any other kingdom would incidentally feed into the unfortunate tendency to disregard Vacuo. Much like the rest of the delegation was doing to Menagerie, intentional or otherwise. It was quite the dilemma, in Ozpin's opinion.

Yet the biggest problem remained. Whoever hosted the aliens would take the forefront of any and all future interactions. The aliens would think of that kingdom first, which might lead to numerous problems for interkingdom relations. One thing was certain, though. They had to display a united front against the UNSC, show that any would-be attempt at dividing them would fail. Not that he believed the aliens would do that, but he still felt caution was warranted.

It was then that Ozpin glanced out the window and saw Amity Colosseum, floating just outside Mantle's walls. It had remained in Atlas for maintenance and repairs following the prior year's Vytal Festival, a biennial event meant to celebrate the end of the Great War and all of the contributions the four kingdoms provided to all of Remnant. Although repairs had temporarily stopped, on account of recent events, next year it was still on track to be flown to Vacuo, then two years later it would arrive in Vale, followed by Mistral. Slowly, an idea formed in his head, and he tapped his cane on the floor. Everyone stopped their squabbling and shot their heads towards the headmaster of Beacon Academy, and he cleared his throat.

"I believe that I have a solution to our current dilemma," Ozpin revealed. "A way to display a united front to the UNSC that Atlas, Mistral, Vale and Vacuo are in equal standing to one another in a way that won't imply one is superior."

He gently waved his arm towards Amity Colosseum, and everyone's attention slowly drifted towards it. At first they were confused, then their eyes widened in realization.

"Of course, Amity Colosseum," Pietro breathed out. "It's owned by all four kingdoms equally, and it can be easily defended."

"But where will we move it?" Ironwood asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't dispute the idea, but I do question where we'll place it. Simply hosting it over the ocean is not a good idea. We'd be surrounded by all sides if things go horribly wrong."

Ozpin nodded in agreement, but he already had an answer and said, "Vytal Island is a prime location in my opinion. It was where the Great War was ended, and I can't think of a better place to host our first face-to-face encounter with an alien race."

"Vytal is claimed by Vale, though," Vacuo pointed out.

"Indeed, but the actual meeting will not be taking place on Vytal," Ozpin insisted. "Instead, Vytal will be used as a staging ground to ensure the delegation is adequately protected by all parties. If need be, we could even craft a declaration that Vytal is jointly owned by all four kingdoms for the duration of the talks."

The councilors narrowed their eyes and turned back to talk among themselves about Ozpin's suggestion. He shared a look with Ironwood, Leonardo, and Pietro. After a moment, they nodded in agreement, then the two headmasters walked away to rejoin their respective councils. Ozpin did the same, and after a few minutes of fervent debate, the talks calmed and they all came to a decision.

"Professor Ozpin's proposal is sound," Ironwood declared. "I second it."

"As do I," Leonardo added. One by one, the other councils voiced their approval and gave unanimous consent. Pietro nodded happily, then walked out of the room to send a communication back to the UNSC.

* * *

_December 15__th__, 69 A.G.W, 6:30 AM (Remnant Calendar)_

_Unknown Location_

For the past few weeks, life had been tense around the castle. Even more so than usual. The arrival of the human aliens had thrown the largest wrench imaginable into their plans, and part of him wondered if they would be able to recover. But their mistress was adaptable, if nothing else. After getting over her shock, she had been sending them to get as much information as possible about their new arrivals and what the kingdoms were planning to do.

"Ma'am," a large stocky man with a short black beard and a dark green and black trim coat, reported, "the kingdoms are moving Amity Colosseum to Vytal Island. They plan on meeting with the aliens there within the next few days."

"Is that so?" their master replied, bringing her pale hands in front her as she sat atop her black stone throne. "Have you been able to determine what forces are being brought to bear, Hazel?"

"The bulk of the security is coming from Atlas," Hazel Rainart answered while crossing his exposed hairy arms, "including three Atlesian cruisers and three hundred soldiers with mechanized support. A dozen Huntsmen and Huntresses each from each kingdom are also taking part to ensure proper security, ma'am."

Hazel's master nodded while folding her fingers together and said, "The kingdoms are certainly taking this seriously. They would be fools not to."

"What should we do, ma'am?" Hazel asked. His master regarded him coldly through her dark eyes, and she stood up from her throne and stalked forward. Her black dress draped across the stone floor and she stopped before a window overlooking the desolate, Grimm-filled wasteland that she and her inner circle resided in. She brought her hand to her chin and stared at the descending moon, then began to speak.

"Hazel, I want you and Haki to investigate the meeting," she ordered. "The events that take place there will shape the course of the world, and we _must _know what that course shall be. Let me be clear: you are not to make a scene. This is not an assassination, nor is it sabotage. You two are only to spy on the meeting and report back to me, nothing more. We do not know enough about this 'UNSC' to act against them openly, not yet."

"Of course, my Glorious, Radiant, Effervescent Lady!" Haki Felt replied, running her twitching fingers across the brim of her hat. In contrast to Hazel's simple clothes and unassuming colors, which did little to distract from his distinctively massive frame, his self-described fellow minion was positively flamboyant. From her gaudy green, silver, and khaki checker-boarded tunic, to the falling stars tattooed beneath her eyes, to the eclectically decorated top hat jauntily perched atop her neon-red hair. She then asked, "What if we see an opportunity that we can get away with?"

"Then you ensure you don't get caught," she declared, turning around to look at the woman directly. "Rest assured, I fully intend to disrupt this meeting. I am already amassing a small horde to throw against them so that you may observe their response. If you do decide to act, and you get caught, you will bear the consequences yourself and leave no trail to expose your allegiance to me. Am I clear?"

As though in emphasis, the entire room seemed to darken. The candles dimmed and the sickly light faded from the glass windows, and both Hazel and Haki felt a cold dread steal their breath for a few terrifying heartbeats. Then the sensation ceased, and after recollecting their bearings, Hazel and Haki nodded.

"Yes, Lady Salem," Hazel said with a polite bow. Haki offered a more extravagant display, holding her hat to her chest with her right hand while bowing and throwing out her left arm to the side. She looked up at Salem with a slightly manic smile, and Salem coldly regarded her before turning around and ushering them away. Both agents stood up, then turned around and walked out of the castle just as Salem sat back onto her throne, watching calculatingly as her subordinates left.

"Alright, Ozpin," she said to herself under her breath, "let's see what the next move shall be."

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of _Dust and Echoes_! Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for all their help in bringing this chapter to life.

The UNSC and Remnant are now, officially, talking to each other. But, unfortunately for them, Salem herself has taken interest, as she obviously would. Things are coming to a head, and what comes next shall be revealed in the upcoming chapters.

Now, onto the Q&A:

**Psihopatul: **I'm happy to hear that and to see you join us! One of the things I strive to do in all of my crossovers is to do things that other creators don't necessarily do. In this case, bringing the UNSC to Remnant, but taking the First Contact in a slow, methodical, and realistic way. At the same time, also bringing RWBY characters into the Halo universe, much like I have done with my DC story, _Hunters of Justice_. Of course, that integration was a lot more...world-shattering than in here (and any of my readers would definitely know what I'm talking about). As for how Ironwood and the others will react, that will be revealed in due time, don't worry.

**NeoConVAL:** Thank you! Will do.

**DomR1997:** Oh trust me, we have a lot of plans in store for you guys.

**Evinco: **That documentation is actually something we intend to showcase within the story. Or, more specifically, through in-universe codex entries to help mark the transfer of information from one side of the crossover to another. Think of Ozpin writing his thoughts on the origins of the UNSC, the Insurrection, etc. while Doctor Halsey writes about her thoughts on Aura, Dust, and Semblances. Ruby would write small essays on various UNSC firearms while Yang does the same on various vehicles. Pietro would talk about Slipspace, Artificial Intelligence, etc. On more immediate measures, expect everyone's reactions to things going on to be of prime concern.

**Shadowstorm-Vash:** Oh, I definitely agree, and I intend to show that the marines and ODSTs are competent soldiers. Just not SPARTAN or Huntsmen level. And don't worry, our two favorite AI girls will meed eventually.

**edboy4926: **That will be shown in due time, don't worry.

**SulliMike23: **They will. Right now, though, the focus is on getting there.

**kpmh2001: **Glad you like the chapter, and thank you for the compliment.

**Guest: **Ozpin's not recruiting anybody, don't worry. That's the last thing on his mind. Besides, Grave's is really more of a major character for this arc, not a main character like Ozpin, Qrow, Ironwood and Cole. Plus the Master Chief, he's definitely the main UNSC character in this story. Arguably the main character alongside team RWBY. They're equals here.

**ptl: **I won't reveal what the Brothers are, or where Dust can all be, but rest assured those questions will be answered in due time.

**BanzEye: **Yep, that's Ironwood for ya. Luckily, he's not at the point where he feels like he needs to hold all of the world's weight upon his shoulders alone, which is what caused him to snap in Volume 7. Markedly different situations right now, which is helped by the fact that Ozpin is still alive.

**CheesusChrist15:** I am aware of what UNSC and Remnant tech can each do. One thing you can be certain of is that UNSC ballistic technology is much, much better than our own, so trying to extrapolate from that isn't the best way to go.

**Vein Bloodborne: **Yeah, that was fun to write.

**shadyxlr: **Don't worry, I intend to show reactions from both sides.

**Ghostly: **That answer will be revealed in due time.

**Ghost of Los Angeles: **Yes they will. Yes they will.

**Steelrain66: **They don't know about Aura just yet. They've been focusing purely on simply communicating with each other and not messing up the first contact, which surfing through their internet would cause. But they will eventually, and you imagine the UNSC would be very interested in that. Especially with what's going on right now.

**daggercloak000: **Don't worry. As mentioned previously, I'm not nerfing anybody. At the same time, this is a story, not an episode of Death Battle, so calcs are considered but not the overriding factor as to what goes on.

**Dragon lord Syed 101: **Oh trust me, I'm going to be avoiding the idiot ball as much as possible, unless it's in character.

That's it for this time. I hope you all enjoy and let us know what you think!


	9. A Symbol of Peace and Unity

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 8: A Symbol of Peace and Unity**

[~][~]

_Amity Colosseum_

_Vytal Island, Kingdom of Vale, Sanus_

_December 18__th__, 69 A.G.W., 7:00 AM (Remnant Calendar)_

Ozpin couldn't remember the last time he felt this stressed. After the past few weeks, everything was coming together. It almost didn't seem real, and yet as he stared at Amity Colosseum hovering over Vytal Island, surrounded on all sides by hundreds of Atlesian soldiers, a trio of Atlesian airships, various militias from all the other kingdoms, and dozens of Huntsmen and Huntresses from all across the world, he was reminded that this was very much real. In just a few short hours, they were going to have true First Contact with an alien race. The fact that those aliens were human did not diminish what that milestone meant. The people of Remnant had been asking themselves the question of whether they were alone in the cosmos for eons, and even he from time to time dabbled in its inherent curiosity. But now that answer was staring at him, and he was about to speak to it directly.

"Delegates are still coming in," Glynda revealed as she walked over to Ozpin, tapping away at a scroll. Ozpin nodded, taking a sip of hot chocolate from his mug. She then added, "I have to admit, I'm surprised that the UNSC would want so many. They practically sent out an open invitation. If it were up to me, I'd focus first on the kingdoms' leaders."

"They are, in a way," Ozpin pointed out. "We have councilors, headmasters, business leaders, and more arriving every hour. A true representation of Remnant and her people, if I do say so myself."

"Yet, I can't help but notice Menagerie is still excluded," Glynda said with narrow eyes. Ozpin sighed and shook his head. He had tried to convince the other kingdoms to include them in some way, but they didn't budge, insisting that since they weren't a kingdom there was no reason to include them at all. It was a poor excuse and everyone knew it, and yet societal prejudices were hard to overcome even with his best efforts. Not even the other headmasters working in concert were able to muster enough support, and in the end he had to concede.

"I know," Ozpin replied, then took another sip from his mug and rested his cane atop the grassy, snowcapped ground. "But, be that as it may, we must focus on the task at hand. This is an important moment for all of Remnant, and we can't afford to let our petty issues squander it."

Glynda recognized the hidden meaning behind Ozpin's words, an understanding that came from years of working closely with the man. In a low whisper, she stated, "You sent Menagerie an invitation."

"I sent nothing," Ozpin answered, taking a nonchalant sip. "The UNSC did, remember? All I did was help move it along."

Glynda smiled and shook her head, then refocused her attention as yet another bullhead, this one originating from Mistral, arrived on the impromptu landing pad. She took the moment to look around her at where the kingdoms had chosen to host the UNSC as wisps of powdery snow were picked up by the wind. Physically, it was a flat clearing bordered by a thick evergreen forest. To their north was a tall snow-capped mountain, and to the south was a cliffside overhanging the sea. It was a prime defensible location, perfect to defend against the Grimm, yet that wasn't why this particular spot was chosen. It was here that the Vytal Peace Accord was signed almost seventy years prior, and she couldn't think of a better place to welcome their alien cousins.

As more and more delegates arrived onto the scene, Ozpin and Glynda were content to stand in silence. They observed General Ironwood's subordinates organizing the defense, the General himself already up in Amity Colosseum, while Doctor Polendina and Doctor Watts were performing a final checkup on Sergeant Graves. Ozpin couldn't help but study the man closely. He was dressed in appropriate winter attire, courtesy of Atlas, and while he still sported the scars and faint bruises from his brush with death, he was still standing. Ozpin knew that had they not recovered Sergeant Graves, this meeting would have not happened. Simply the translation alone would have taken months, and who knew what would have happened between now and then. At the same time, having Graves around helped to serve as a living symbol towards what these human aliens represented and their seemingly good intentions for the planet. He supposed their upcoming meeting would solidify whether that was true, but he wanted to believe from the bottom of his heart that they were.

He was prepared to be disappointed, though. Ozpin had long since lost count of how many times his hopes were dashed.

It was then that he saw Qrow walking towards him, his back hunched forward and his hands in his pockets. The agent was staring straight at Ozpin, who immediately finished his cup and placed it on a table to the side. Then Ozpin placed both of his hands on top of his cane, and he patiently waited for Qrow to give his report.

"Just did another perimeter sweep," Qrow reported, throwing his thumb back towards the forest. "Took out a few Grimm, nothing major. Yet."

"Scouts?" Ozpin asked, and Qrow nodded.

"I'd bet my life on it. Something of this magnitude? There's no way the Grimm would pass up a chance to mess things up. They'd be stupid not to."

If there was one thing Salem wasn't, it was stupid. One did not become the most dangerous threat on the planet by being stupid, after all. Strength and power alone could certainly make something a threat, but unless it had the intelligence to back it up, those attributes never lasted. Unfortunately for him, and everyone else, Salem had it all. She was a powerful mage, a ruthless manipulator who knew how to play people to her whims like they were nothing more than clay, and immune to the ravages of time. Time that she had used to hone her abilities, and afforded her a long-term view that no one else could really match. Not even him, at times.

"It's obvious the Grimm will attempt to intervene," Ozpin noted. "The question is, to what extent? Will they act to completely destroy us, or will the upcoming attack simply be a probe to determine just how powerful the UNSC truly is? If I had to guess, most likely the latter."

Qrow and Glynda nodded in agreement. After everything Ozpin had informed them about Salem and what she was capable of doing, and how she operated, a probing attack was her most likely response. It would allow her to gain valuable intel on the UNSC's capabilities, allowing her to determine what her next steps should be. Right now, he didn't know what she would do, but he did know what she had most assuredly done already.

"Have you spotted any intruders, by the way? I'd hate for this meeting to be disrupted," Ozpin pointed out, and Qrow shook his head.

"Not yet, but I'm keeping an eye out," Qrow admitted. Ozpin nodded, then looked at his agent in the eyes.

"Please do. If you spot anything suspicious, notify me immediately."

Qrow nodded, but before he could say anything else, Ozpin felt and heard his scroll vibrate. He pulled it up, revealing that Ironwood was calling him.

"General," Ozpin greeted as he opened up the scroll. "Has there been an update?"

"_A few, actually,_" Ironwood replied, his voice tense. "_We've detected two more bursts of radiation just outside Remnant's orbit. Two vessels emerged and have rendezvoused with the _Everest."

"UNSC?"

"_The aesthetic matches them,_" Ironwood answered. "_Luckily, both are much smaller and are transmitting on open frequency. If I had to guess, the _Everest_ was a capital ship while these newcomers are more like frigates or destroyers. Both are different designs from the other, and I can't pretend to know which is which._"

"I see," Ozpin said with a nod. It made sense to him that the UNSC would request reinforcements. Their ship was, for a still unknown reason, damaged and in need of extensive repair. Calling for backup only made sense.

"Is there anything else?" Qrow asked.

"_There is. They're about to send forces of their own to assist in the fortification. They've marked a landing zone, and unfortunately you are right in the middle of it. If I were you, I'd get back._"

Without even needing to be told twice, Ozpin, Qrow, and Glynda hastily walked away from their spot along the cliffside. They made their way towards the wider camp, and once they arrived they turned their attention back towards their call with Ironwood.

"Is this far enough?" Ozpin asked. He didn't know just how large their dropships could be, but judging by the wreckage they recovered, their spacecrafts could get quite big.

"_I believe so, yes,_" Ironwood confirmed. "_They should be arriving any moment now._"

Ozpin nodded, then ended the call and turned his attention towards the sky. It a perfectly clear day, and the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon and send orange flickers of light in all directions that reflected off of the ocean. After a few moments, he and everyone else saw a large object descend from the upper atmosphere. As it came closer into view, he could see that it looked remarkably similar to the crashed dropship, only supersized. Attached through underhanging cables was a large, bulky vehicle that was roughly shaped like a box. On top of the vehicle's back half was a flat platform, which was undoubtedly a landing pad. Despite its size, to Ozpin it looked as though it was packed in among itself. For a brief moment, he wondered what the vehicle was for.

He had his answer once the super heavy dropship, as he assumed it was, descended onto the field, the roar of its engines drowning out everything else. Everyone stared as, rather than land, the dropship deposited its cargo onto the field where Ozpin and his subordinates stood. Then, once the cargo was safely on the ground, it unlatched itself and ascended. A few moments later, the vehicle began to expand outward, the front half lurching forward as struts descended from the corners that planted themselves onto the ground. Along the top, a series of dishes and transceivers unfurled, as did a crane along the back right. A shower of sparks followed as various plates were automatically welded together along seams. Ozpin's eyebrow was raised slightly upward, but from the corner of his eye, he could see Qrow groan.

"Oh, that's wonderful. They can drop in forts from orbit," Qrow noted dryly. He could tell that Ironwood, as well as the rest of the Atlas delegation, would be simultaneously worried and salivating at the thought.

"So it would seem," Ozpin replied as another pair of dropships, the same models that they recovered Graves near, landed next to the deposited building. As they descended, they rotated in place to where their aft bay doors were pointed towards their own camp. Then they landed, extending rear struts onto the ground and opening up the back doors to reveal twenty soldiers in each. Rather than wearing the black full bodysuits like Graves did, these soldiers were wearing an olive green BDU over black fatigues, with their helmets open-faced and exposed. Some had orange goggles covering their eyes, while others simply had a green eyepiece over one of them. One dark-skinned man in particular was only wearing an olive green cap and sported a neatly trimmed stubble along his rugged jawline, and he hopped out of his Pelican first and began barking orders. Thanks to the ADA unit currently housed in his ear, Ozpin was able to understand him perfectly.

"Alright, marines! Move like you got a purpose!" the man barked. At once, the marines from both dropships disembarked, fanning out to help secure the area. The apparent leader of the group watched for a moment, then turned around and spotted Ozpin and his group. Holstering his bulky rifle onto his back, the man walked forward with a confident stride, ignoring the looks everyone else was giving. At the same time, Sergeant Graves walked out of the tent they were housing him in despite the fuss of his doctors, and he walked towards the man who met him on the field.

"Sergeant Graves, good to see ya," the man remarked. His eyes went up and down, and he smirked. "You look like shit."

"That's what happens when things go FUBAR, Sergeant," Graves joked back. The fellow sergeant smiled and patted Grave's shoulder, then redirected him back towards the building the UNSC dropped. To Ozpin's curiosity, another flight of dropships were depositing prefabricated buildings along the sides of the original emplacement, helped along by the marines ensuring the process went smoothly. The buildings looked like smaller pads to ferry supplies through, and one was placed on the left and right.

"Let's get you back to the _Everest_. The docs wanna check you up," he said. Graves nodded, then he turned back to Ozpin.

"Thank you, Professor," Sergeant Graves said. Ozpin softly smiled and nodded.

"There's no need to say thanks, Sergeant," Ozpin insisted. "I'm simply happy things have worked out for the best."

"As am I," Graves admitted. "I know we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but even then, it was a pleasure to get to know you."

"The pleasure was all mine," Ozpin replied, truly meaning it. After spending the past few weeks with Graves, the two of them were able to build a rapport with each other. He had proven himself to be of impeccable character, a model soldier worthy of respect. He might not have told them everything they wanted to know, but Ozpin could tell he was a good man.

"Goodbye, sir," Graves said, giving a respectful nod towards the headmaster. Then the soldier walked off, heading towards the nearest dropship and stepping aboard. The doors closed behind him, then it joined its fellow spacecraft and ascended back to the reaches of outer space. Ozpin's group and the marine sergeant who was left behind watched it go, then the sergeant turned around and walked towards Ozpin.

"I take it you're Professor Ozpin?" the man asked. When Ozpin nodded, the man continued, "You certainly look like a professor. Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson. I'm in charge of the UNSC-provided security down here."

"A pleasure to have you with us, Sergeant. Next to me is Professor Glynda Goodwitch and Qrow Branwen," Ozpin replied. Glynda gave a polite bow, trying to remain respectful, while Qrow simply gave a curt nod. Johnson nodded back, then shifted his eyes towards Amity Colosseum. After a few moments of study, he whistled in appreciation while placing his hands on his hips.

"Have to admit, this is a mighty fine stadium you got here." He turned back towards Ozpin and his compatriots, his expression remaining jovial. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you guys chose that thing for a reason."

"That is correct. Amity Colosseum is a symbol of peace and unity for our people, and we could think of no better place for our meeting to be held."

"Well, if nothing else, the image of a flying colosseum is certainly interesting. Got nothing like that back home," Johnson admitted, then threw his thumb over his shoulder. "The firebase should be fully operational within the hour, with more flights of Pelicans coming down as we speak. Trust me when I say we aren't taking any chances."

"Can't say I blame you," Qrow admitting, crossing his arms. "We're anticipating a Grimm attack. Don't know how big, but they're definitely coming."

"So that's what you call those things," Johnson said, narrowing his eyes. "Grimm… Sounds spooky enough, I suppose. Certainly more unique than monsters and werewolves, although personally I was a fan of hell-spawn."

Despite himself, Qrow chuckled while shaking his head. "Oh, trust me. Those things might as well have sprung out of Hell."

Johnson smiled, then gave a curt nod and walked back to the firebase. True to his word, more of the Pelicans, as he described them, were descending from the upper atmosphere, each one undoubtedly ferrying more UNSC marines. Once Johnson was out of earshot, Ozpin turned towards Qrow and Glynda.

"He certainly seems friendly enough," Glynda noted while Qrow shook his head.

"Probably just playing nice," the gruff Huntsman cynically suggested.

"Oh, I don't know. It certainly felt like the two of you would get along just fine," Ozpin suggested with a smile, which Qrow rolled his eyes at.

"Please. Once this is over, I bet we're never gonna see each other again," Qrow insisted while shaking his head.

"Perhaps. I guess we'll have to see, won't we?" Ozpin asked. After a moment, Qrow shrugged in mild acceptance. Ozpin nodded back, then he lowered his voice and said, "However, Qrow, I do have another request for you."

"Read you loud and clear, Oz," Qrow replied, understanding his request immediately. With one final nod, Qrow walked away from Ozpin and Glynda towards the forest. As he entered the brush, he unfurled Harbinger from its holster, then disappeared from view.

"Well then, I suppose we should head back to Amity," Ozpin said, walking towards the landing pad where a Bullhead was waiting for him. Glynda followed immediately, and as they ascended towards the colosseum where the meeting was to be held, they saw more and more dropships arrive, each depositing soldiers on all corners of the field. From the firebase's interior garage sprung a four-wheeled olive-green vehicle that had a tri-barreled chaingun attached to the back. It didn't have any doors, and the mounted gun was completely exposed outside of a protective plate, yet a marine hopped aboard without any fuss. The vehicle reminded Ozpin somewhat of a large cat, like a puma, yet the tow hooks on the front reminded him of tusks, like those on a walrus.

By the time he finally entered Amity Colosseum, the firebase's expansion picked up in earnest as more and more Pelicans arrived. They were placing a variety of prefabricated buildings, including one that looked like a barracks, a domed structure that seemed to be a lab of some kind, one that looked like an air traffic control tower, and another that looked like a factory. At the same time, the marines began pulling out large cylinders from the firebase's interior, placing the cluster at the back of it and connecting them via cables. As they were turned on, the firebase's lights lit up as well, telling Ozpin that they were generators of some kind. That, more than anything else thus far, intrigued him. From the conversations he had with Sergeant Graves, the UNSC did not know of Dust prior to their arrival on the planet. Yet they were obviously able to power themselves just fine. Ozpin knew that whatever those generators were, Dust wasn't utilized in them whatsoever, which given how dependent Remnant was on the fantastic material automatically made it something he needed to understand. Overall, the sight of the firebase expanding and coming online in such a short amount of time was impressive. One that had everyone on the ground watching with rapt attention, and Ozpin could only hope that boded well for what was to come.

* * *

_UNSC _Everest_, Valliant-Class Super-Heavy Cruisier_

_Geosynchronous Orbit, Remnant, Oum System_

_December 18__th__, 2540, 7:30 AM (UNSC Military Calendar)_

In the past few weeks, Vice Admiral Preston Cole had learned much about the planet they had found themselves over. What at first seemed like yet another near-Earthlike planet had turned out to be much, much more. From its native human population that wasn't from Earth or any of their colonies to the highly volatile crystals their entire civilization appeared to be based around. Not to mention the creatures more akin to the monsters of myth and legend that hunted people down like prey. By all accounts, this seemingly pristine world was a death trap, one that he had sent good men and women down to die in. Yet, in their sacrifice, something invaluable had been obtained. An actual, peaceful dialogue was able to be reached between the UNSC and the natives, and crucial information had finally been obtained.

To the native humans, the planet's name was Remnant. To the admiral, it was a name that evoked a cultural sense of loss, that they used to be much grander but now weren't. The UNSC also learned the names of the continents. Continent Alpha was known as Sanus to the natives, Beta was Solitas, Charlie was Anima, and Epsilon was Menagerie. Delta's name was lost in translation, but he figured they'd iron that out eventually. Of those continents, there were four kingdoms. The Kingdom of Vale took up the eastern half of Sanus, with the western half claimed by the Kingdom of Vacuo. The entirety of Anima was claimed by the Kingdom of Mistral, as was Solitas for the Kingdom of Atlas. Only Menagerie wasn't claimed by any of the kingdoms, which was odd to him to say the least. In fact, the entirety of continent Delta was unclaimed as well. Given the fact that the former continent appeared to be settled entirely by the Faunus minority, as they were called, he felt the preliminary field reports of them being subject to discrimination were accurate.

Still, his thoughts went back to continent Delta. The only reason he could fathom why so much land went unclaimed and unused by the kingdoms was due to the monsters they called the creatures of Grimm. It was a dark and foreboding title, one that he felt suited them perfectly. After their own limited engagements with them, he'd avoid an entire continent infested with them, too. At least not without ample orbital fire support.

Fire support that they would be bringing down when they went planetside again, as he was about to do himself for the first time since they arrived. After weeks of talks and translation, which experienced plenty of speedbumps along the way such as the binary translation idea not entirely panning out like they had hoped, they had finally managed to both find a way to talk to each other. They had also set a time and place for everyone to talk in person. The meeting was to be held on the island of Vytal, as the natives called it. It couldn't have come at a better time, as UNSC reinforcements had arrived not an hour earlier. They were already appraised of the situation, and now he had three ships' worth of marines and ODSTs on standby. Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson, who was part of the reinforcements, had been sent down to ensure proper security on their end. Cole couldn't imagine a marine more suitable for the job. Johnson was not only a highly decorated soldier, one who had earned the respect and admiration of the entire Marine Corps, he was also highly personable and easy to get along with. Perfect for a first contact. Hopefully this one wouldn't end the same way their last one did.

That being said, the UNSC _Paris_ and the UNSC _Iroquois _were not the only vessels that arrived in system, albeit the only ones their sensors detected. They were joined by a third ship, the UNSC _Dusk._ It was an ONI prowler, whose stealth capabilities were so advanced not even the Covenant could detect them. The only reason why he knew it was there was because they let him know, and even that was just so one very important lady could come aboard.

"I hope you realize just how lucky you were, Admiral. Your actions could have resulted in utter catastrophe," the woman chastised him, speaking as though she was his equal or perhaps superior, despite the fact that she was only a civilian. With everything she had given for the war against the Covenant, however, Admiral Cole supposed she was the only civilian who could do that and get away with it.

"I'm more than aware of that, Doctor Halsey. My decisions were made with what intel I had available," Admiral Cole replied. Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey frowned and furrowed her brow, then shook her head.

"You military types. Does the word 'restraint' mean nothing to you?" Halsey asked, raising an eyebrow while crossing her arms over her chest. "You parked a _Valliant_-class super-heavy cruiser, one of our largest and most powerful warships, over their moon and, despite the fact that you _knew_ they at least had radio capabilities said nothing. In fact, you sent dropships down planetside, an action that easily could have been misinterpreted, all the while the _Everest_ remained silent and didn't respond to their attempts at communication."

Cole sighed, having expected this reaction from Halsey, then said, "Yes, in hindsight my decisions were not the soundest."

"That is an understatement," Halsey continued, pointing her finger at the planet through the bridge windows. "You scared them out of their minds, Preston. If they were more primitive, they might even have thought their gods were coming down to smite them. That level of fear is not conducive to proper decision making. The only saving grace I can see is that our second first contact wasn't completely botched from the get-go, and that it can be salvaged."

Cole stared flatly at Doctor Halsey, who stared stubbornly back at him. After a moment, he sighed in resignation and turned back to the holotable. He asked, "Since you're here, any word on what ONI thinks of this?"

"Needless to say, intrigued," Halsey revealed, turning towards the holotable as well. It was displaying a topographic map of Vytal Island, the scanners from their firebase displaying real-time data on troop movements, both from Remnant and the UNSC. "Are you certain these humans didn't come from one of our colonial expeditions?"

"One-hundred percent," Cole confirmed. "Their biology, languages, stone ruins that were thousands of years old. It all adds up."

"Hmm. If that is the case, I suppose the biggest question is how they got here. Convergent evolution on this scale is nigh impossible, which tells me their presence is unnatural."

"You think someone brought them here?" Cole asked, having the same thoughts, and Halsey nodded.

"Most likely. Of course, there is the possibility that Remnant is humanity's homeworld and we were subsequently brought to Earth, but I very much doubt that." Halsey shook her head, adding, "We've tracked nearly the entire evolution of humanity through the fossil record, a timeline lasting millions of years. If theirs is even a fraction of that length, I would be surprised."

"Well, best not to start saying that during our meeting," Cole admitted despite agreeing with her.

"Agreed. Would probably not go over well. Besides, I would much rather conduct my own research before coming to any conclusions." Halsey paused, then said, "That being said, those crystals they use. They are interesting."

"They call it Dust, apparently."

"Dust? Peculiar name, but I suppose it has a long-lasting cultural reasoning. Fits the theme, at least. Remnant, Dust, it also goes together well, don't you think?"

"It does," Cole replied, then sighed. "Unfortunately, the Dust samples we obtained were mostly lost. Only a few managed to get onboard, where we encountered some…setbacks in their study."

"Enlighten me," Halsey asked through narrowed eyes. Cole looked back at her, steeling his gaze while folding his arms behind his back.

"When the Pelicans carrying the remaining Dust samples arrived back at the Everest," he explained, "for an as of yet unknown reason, they became inert."

"They lost their power?" Halsey asked, and Cole nodded.

"They did. Just a bunch of worthless crystal now." Cole sighed and shook his head. "We haven't been able to ask why."

"I'll be sure to ask when I go down there," Halsey declared. Cole gave her a sideways glance, but he wasn't surprised. In fact, once her arrival was confirmed, he had already began preparations. Undoubtedly, once she learned of the second humanity, she dropped whatever she was doing and came over as soon as she could.

"I'm sure you will," Cole replied, and Halsey nodded. Then she turned around, placing her hands in her white and blue coat's pockets, and walked out of the bridge.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check on my SPARTANs," Halsey stated without breaking her stride. Cole knew she was going to do that too, and with an amused chuckle, he turned back to the holotable and continued his preparations.

* * *

_Vytal Island, Kingdom of Vale, Sanus_

_December 18__th__, 69 A.G.W., 8:00 AM (Remnant Calendar)_

Jacques Schnee always strived to present his best. His suits were of the finest make and caliber, his cars and private airships the most extravagant and expensive, and he always made sure his frosted black hair was neatly maintained. First impressions were the only impressions that truly mattered, and perhaps that phrase meant more today than ever before.

He had to admit, the UNSC's arrival over Remnant scared him. Despite the fact that they were apparently human, their presence still confirmed that they were truly not alone in the universe. It made him feel small, which was a feeling he did not particularly enjoy. But that was in the past, and now he was standing before a bold new future. A future that would propel the Schnee Dust Company to new heights, if he had anything to say about it. He had to push a lot of elbows and wave around his wealth and importance over everyone's heads, but in the end, Jacques got what he wanted. He was now considered to be part of the Atlesian delegation, one meant to represent their business interests, not to mention his own.

To be sure, the UNSC hadn't made the greatest first impression. Their vessel's arrival and silent hanging over their world was a fearsome sight, one that made everyone nervous. It did not help that their entire aesthetic screamed utilitarian and military, something that was made even more apparent as his private airship descended onto Vytal Island. It was easily apparent that they were a militarized society, or at least this portion of it. But while the rest of Remnant saw reason for caution, he saw opportunity. The SDC already enjoyed a close relationship with the Atlesian military, to say nothing of all the Huntsmen and Huntresses who bought his company's ammunition. Jacques was certain that, in time, he could position the SDC in a similar way with the UNSC as well.

Which was something he knew was going to happen, given enough time. Due to his status as the SDC's owner and CEO, he was in frequent and personal contact with General Ironwood. When it came to most matters, particularly the economy, Jacques felt Ironwood was hardheaded and too stubborn for his own good. Too prone to making rash decisions at the jump of a gun. In fact, Jacques felt Ironwood thought with his gun first at times. But, when it came to military matters, Jacques conceded to Ironwood's authority. As such, when Ironwood said that the UNSC could have easily turned their warship towards Remnant and fired upon them from orbit, with Remnant unable to do anything to retaliate or defend themselves, he believed him. Yet, that clearly didn't happen. In fact, the UNSC wanted to talk and have diplomacy. More than anything else, that told him what the UNSC truly wanted out of Remnant.

They didn't want subjects or to wage a war of pointless genocide. Rather, the UNSC wanted peace. With peace came trade, and with trade came profit, to those who knew how to seize it at least.

When the airship finally landed, Jacques stood up and adjusted his tie. A faunus stewardess opened the door for him, which extended into a short flight of stairs that he easily walked down. He did so with as much confidence as possible, portraying himself proudly to the outside world while his fellow delegates, both from Atlas and beyond, regarded him with open disdain. Jacques walked straight towards the man he knew from a glance was in charge, a human male with black skin and olive green armor topped with a cap in the same color. The man was holding a small earpiece in his hand, wiping it clean with his finger when he noticed Jacques' arrival, and stopped issuing orders to his subordinates to regard him openly. At the same time, he placed the earpiece back into his right ear, telling Jacques it was a translation device.

"Hey there," the man greeted. "I take it you're with the…Atlas delegation?"

"That is correct, sir," Jacques replied, speaking as politely as possible. "My name is Jacques Schnee. I'm the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, and I'm here to help represent Remnant's economic interests."

"Hmm," the solider hummed with a raised eyebrow, then shrugged. "Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson."

"A pleasure to meet you, sergeant," Jacques replied, holding out his hand. Instead of taking it like Jacques expected, Johnson merely regarded the extended appendage with a deliberate pause before engulfing it in his own gloved hand. The stick-thin businessman struggled not to wince at the crushing grip he found himself trapped in, and with a pained chuckle hurried to extricate his protesting extremity. Once the brute deigned to release him, Jacques tried to regain his composure by pretending to straighten his cuffs while hiding the flexing of his abused fingers.

"Right," Jacques said, swiveling his head around to take a look at the camp. A flight of aircraft flew overhead, ones that were alien in design. Like Johnson's armor, which now that he looked at it was strangely glossy, the VTOL aircraft were an olive green in color. The engines were attached to wings located at the top of the aircraft, with a pair of landing pads on the bottom. On those landing pads were a pair of soldiers, wielding what looked to be rocket launchers. Combined with the nose-mounted chaingun and wing-mounted missile pods, it looked like a predatory insect.

"If you're looking for the others," Johnson said, bringing Jacques' attention back towards him, "they're gathering over there."

Johnson pointed towards a large group of assembled men and women from all kingdoms. He immediately noticed that General Ironwood, Professor Ozpin, and the other headmasters were nowhere to be seen. Undoubtedly, they were already in the colosseum, making final preparations. Jacques nodded then prepared to walk over, ready to end this pointless conversation and move on to more important matters, when he heard Doctor Pietro Polendina's recognizable voice. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, Jacques turned his head to look at the rotund scientist, where he saw that he was joined by Doctor Arthur Watts, who were both looking over one of the UNSC's four-wheeled vehicles.

"You mean to tell me this runs entirely off of water?" Pietro asked, completely astounded. The marine escorting him and Watts, who clearly didn't mind the questioning, nodded.

"It does, yeah," the marine admitted. "All of our vehicles do, except for the really big ones. Of course, technically it runs off of the hydrogen in the water, but still."

"Fascinating. All of our technology runs off of Dust," Pietro replied, causing the marine to nod his head. "What about your starships? Do they run off of hydrogen, too?"

"Yes, but not through an internal combustion engine," the marine replied. "They don't produce enough power. Instead, our ships use fusion power plants. Don't bother asking me how they work. The science goes way above my head."

"You have nuclear fusion, too?! That's only theoretical for us!" Pietro exclaimed, he was positively giddy now, and his excitement only grew when the marine nodded.

"Yep. In fact," he pointed towards one of the glowing cylinders hooked up to the firebase, "those are portable fusion generators. We have bigger ones, but those take too long to properly set up."

Pietro's mouth was openly agape, and he was trying and failing to contain just how overwhelmed with excitement he was. Even Watts was openly impressed, although he was maintaining his composure. Jacques, however, could only stare at both the vehicle and the generator with barely restrained horror. He thought back to his earlier predictions on the UNSC's desires. Assuming everything went well, and he had no reason to suspect it wouldn't at the moment, trade between Remnant and the UNSC was sure to follow. With that trade, the UNSC would undoubtedly offer its advanced spacefaring technology, including power sources completely removed from Dust. Although Dust was powerful and allowed them to achieve many great things, the supply was limited. Especially when compared to _water_ of all things.

After being Remnant's de facto source of energy for longer than recorded history, Jacques knew right then and there that Dust had just obtained a competitor it might not be able to overcome in the end. The UNSC would show off their hydrogen-injected internal combustion engines, their fusion generators, and whatever else they used for power. Their economy of scale would allow them to sell the devices at extremely low cost, undercutting the current market price and Dust completely. In return, the people of Remnant would lap it up.

Clenching his fist, Jacques turned around and walked away towards the gathered delegates. He no longer thought solely of what he could gain. Now, he had to contend with what he could lose.

* * *

'_Arrogant ass,_' Johnson thought as he watched Jacques Schnee walk away with a noticeable scowl on his face. He could recognize what Jacques was like as soon as that fancy aircraft touched down. In contrast to the simpler designs that everyone else used, which ferried more than one person at a time, Jacques was big, loud, and demanded everyone pay attention because he was just that important. Then he and he alone had to step out of that aircraft like he owned the damn place, acting like everyone else was beneath him. That he was superior and didn't care about all the hateful looks he was getting. Hearing that he was the CEO of some big company was what sealed the deal. Johnson couldn't finish the conversation fast enough, and it was only his sense of duty that kept him in check.

Dispersing the small frown on his face, Johnson looked back towards the landing pad. They were scheduled for one more arrival, and he was keeping his eyes on the horizon. Eventually, he spotted a small bullhead flying towards them. It was noticeably older looking and smaller than the others. When it drew closer, Johnson could see that it was painted blue and white, with an image of a wolf's head along the side. Johnson nodded to himself and patiently waited, folding his arms behind his back while, from the corner of his eye, he noticed that the other delegates were now watching in open shock. He partly wondered why, but then the doors opened to reveal a large man with a bushy black beard, accompanied by a dark-skinned woman with tiger-like tattoos along her arms. The tattoos matched the pair of tiger ears on the top of her head, and they were flanked by a pair of guards wielding simple rifles and pikes.

"Hey there. I'm Sergeant Avery Johnson," Johnson introduced himself for what felt like the fiftieth time in the past hour. Unlike Jacques, the man before him, whom Johnson assumed to be one of these Faunus he kept hearing about, politely bowed.

"Greetings, sergeant. My name is Ghira Belladonna," the Faunus man introduced himself, bringing his hand to his chest then gesturing towards the woman next to him. "This is Sienna Khan, my associate."

"Charmed," Sienna said, her voice containing a noticeable edge. There was history behind that, Johnson knew, but before he could even ask, someone decided to interrupt.

"What is the meaning of this?" a delegate Johnson believed to be from Mistral demanded, marching forward with an angry snarl on his face. "Why are there representatives from Menagerie here?"

"We received an invitation," Sienna answered, clenching her fist and staring the Mistralian down. "Given how important this meeting is for the future of Remnant and all its people, human _and _faunus, the White Fang felt it was more than appropriate to accept."

"We were offered a seat at the table, an offer we are more than grateful for," Ghira added, his voice much calmer. That tone did nothing for the Mistralian delegate, who glanced towards Johnson with barely concealed frustration.

"Menagerie isn't even a kingdom," he argued. "You have no place here."

"And yet, you allowed Jacques Schnee?" Ghira pointed out with a small frown. "Tell me, how much did he have to spend to get his seat?"

The Mistralian didn't say anything, merely fuming for a second before he turned around and stomped off. Ghira, Sienna, and their guards merely watched him go, as did Johnson with a slight frown. Once the delegate was out of earshot, Ghira closed his eyes and sighed before turning back to Johnson.

"My apologies, sergeant. It was not my intention to cause a scene," he said, but Johnson waved him off.

"Why are you apologizing to me? You weren't the one making a fuss. Frankly, if it were up to me I'd kick him out," Johnson pointed out, already planning on notifying Admiral Cole of the incident. Then, with a raised eyebrow, he said, "That felt like it was more common than it should be, though."

"You would be correct, unfortunately," Ghira admitted. "Faunus have always been subjected to discrimination and prejudice. I founded the White Fang to combat it, and although strides have been made over the years, we still have a long way to go."

"Which is why we were surprised when we got the UNSC's invitation," Sienna pointed out. "As much as I loathe that man, he was right that Menagerie isn't recognized as a kingdom. I would have thought your people would have wanted to focus entirely on the kingdoms first?"

"I'm probably not the one to ask that," Johnson admitted, "but to me, I see no reason why not. The fact you actually got an invitation tells me everything I need to know. Besides, you two are certainly more pleasant than that Jacques guy. There won't be any issues on our end, I can assure you."

Ghira smiled warmly, then offered his hand towards Johnson. "Thank you, sergeant. We look forward to future talks."

Johnson looked at the offered hand, then smiled back and shook it.

* * *

_UNSC _Everest_, Valliant-Class Super-Heavy Cruisier_

_Geosynchronous Orbit, Remnant, Oum System_

_December 18__th__, 2540, 8:15 AM (UNSC Military Calendar)_

John-117 and the rest of Blue Team knew immediately who was onboard the ONI prowler as soon as it docked. Even if no one outright told them, they knew. It was a feeling engrained into them from a lifetime of training and experience, almost to the point of instinct. There was no way something like this would have escaped her notice, and it was obvious that she would have come as soon as she could. At the same time, they knew what was coming next, and so by the time Doctor Halsey arrived in the SPARTANs' personal armory, they were already prepared.

"John, Kelly, Fred, Linda," Halsey greeted them in a somewhat soothing tone as she walked through the door. While the SPARTANs would have felt at odds at others using their names so causally, with Halsey they made an exception.

"Ma'am," they replied as Halsey walked up to them, then stopped to look up into their golden faceplates. She could see her reflection in all of them, and after a moment she softly smiled and ran her fingers across John's armor.

"What did you do?" she asked, feeling a crack that was recently repaired while also taking note of the damage the others had. Compared to what she would have done back on Reach, the repairs were hasty and ad hoc, clearly temporary before they could get back to UNSC space, but it would be enough to keep them going for now.

"Got into a little scuffle. Nothing we couldn't handle," John replied, giving a small shrug. Deep down, he still mourned the loss of the man under his command, but at the same time he knew that was simply the nature of war. Soldiers died when they didn't need to, and he owed it to them to keep moving forward and ensure their sacrifice wasn't in vain. Halsey shook her head at that and backed away, then crossed her arms.

"I should certainly hope so. That armor costs more than a cruiser. I'd hate to see it damaged beyond repair," she pointed out, then relaxed and softened her gaze. "Those creatures, the Grimm…what can you tell me about them?"

"You mean besides the fact that they're abominations?" Fred asked. When Halsey nodded, he shrugged. "Can't tell you much beyond that, ma'am. I only fought a big worm-looking one, and even after blasting it with rockets and heavy machine guns, we only killed half of it."

"Wasps, for me," Linda added. "My sniper rifle took them out easily enough, but it was like trying to shoot down a swarm of Drones one by one.

"Crocodiles. A point-blank shot with my shotgun finished several off, but it took an entire magazine of my pistol to put down another," Kelly said as well, then everyone's attention shifted to John.

"Mine were a collection of wolves and bears," John explained. "They were extremely resistant to small-arms fire. They reminded me of Brutes, in a way. Brutes in a constant berserker rage. Then we were attacked by a giant scorpion, which was nearly as big and durable as one of our own tanks. Nothing short of high explosives were able to damage it."

"Hmm," Halsey hummed, rubbing her fingers across her chin. "Clearly, you all went down there underequipped. I imagine you aren't making that same mistake again?"

"No, ma'am. We aren't taking any chances this time," John immediately answered, then gestured to the array of weapons next to them. Halsey glanced over at them and raised her eyebrow. She was able to tell who was using what simply by looking at the weapons grouped together and connecting the dots with the SPARTANs she had trained since they were children.

Gone were the SMGs and low-powered suppressed pistols. Instead, they were going in with weapons much more suited for their expected enemies. John, as she expected, was the most basic out of all of them. He had chosen an MA5B assault rifle with an M301 under-barrel grenade launcher attached to it. An M6D magnum was laying next to it, and finally there was an M6 Spartan Laser. For Fred, he would be wielding a similar loadout, just replacing the MA5B with an M392 DMR and the Spartan Laser for an M41 SPNKR with two spare pairs of tubes. Linda had opted for a BR55 battle rifle with an attached underslung shotgun, alongside an M6D magnum and, unsurprisingly, a SRS99 Anti-Material sniper rifle. For Kelly, she had chosen to bring along an MA5B similar to John alongside an M6D and finally an M45E tactical shotgun. Clustered around the weapons were various specialty ammos, including armor piercing, incendiary, and shredder rounds, along with copious amounts of grenades.

"Where will you be during the delegation?" Halsey asked next, not because she didn't know but because she wanted confirmation from her SPARTANs.

John answered immediately, saying, "We'll be in the background, making sure the area is secure. They won't even know we're there."

"I should certainly hope so. Because if they do, that means the situation has gone belly up," Halsey noted. She had complete faith in her SPARTANs' ability to perform, but caution was always warranted. She then placed her hands back into her coat pockets and continued, "Nevertheless, I'll be monitoring your situation through your helmet-cams. I imagine once all this is over, I'll need to adjust your Mark IVs."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Kelly pointed out. Halsey flashed a smirk, then took note of the time on the wall mounted clock.

"Well, I must be off," she said. "Preston and I are going down there shortly. Hopefully, we can salvage this First Contact."

She turned around and walked off, but before she could walk through the door, she paused and looked behind her shoulder back at her SPARTANs. She added, "Keep an eye on the natives. While I'm certain the majority want peace, there's no telling what others may want."

"Understood, ma'am," Linda declared. She and the rest of Blue Team had already thought of that possibility. After all, even with the threat of extinction hanging over their heads with the Covenant, they still had to deal with the Insurrectionists on occasion. A First Contact was prime opportunity for someone with ill intentions to intervene, and for the sake of both the UNSC and Remnant, they needed to ensure that wouldn't happen.

With that, Halsey walked off, and the doors automatically sealed shut behind her, leaving the SPARTANs alone once again.

* * *

_Vytal Island, Kingdom of Vale, Sanus_

Qrow Branwen returned from yet another patrol of the outer perimeter. As before, he only came across a few isolated packs of Grimm, mostly Beowolves and Ursas. Nothing he couldn't handle, and on his way back he noticed that other Huntsmen and Huntresses were doing the same thing. He also saw patrols of UNSC soldiers walking around the forest, clearing out any Grimm they saw while setting up what looked to be automated turrets on top of large towers. He could understand why they would set those up, and they certainly added to the overall security, but he couldn't help but shake the feeling of distrust in him.

He knew why he felt this way, feeling like the UNSC was bringing more harm than good. He often felt the same thing when he had to deal with members of Atlas' military, like they knew what was best and expected everyone else to fall in line. The UNSC may be alien, but at the same time they were still completely human. That meant he could read them, and their utilitarian design, function over form, and everything else screamed at him that this was a highly militarized society. Qrow didn't like it, especially since it was obvious that this UNSC was fighting someone. Who it was, he had no idea, but Remnant needed to find out. Which was why, when he found an isolated patrol of marines making their rounds, he stuck around and watched them from the trees. His bird form would have been preferable for spying without any chance of suspicion, but unfortunately he still needed his ADA to understand anything that their visitors said and his transformation took away the device to…wherever his clothes and weapon also disappeared to.

"This is so weird, man," one of the marines noted. "I mean, human aliens, shadow monsters? What's up with that?"

"No idea, Jenkins," another of the marines answered with a shrug. "Best we just do our jobs and get this over with."

"Yeah," the apparently named Jenkins replied. The marines continued their patrol, their bullpup rifles sweeping the area for any signs of Grimm. Qrow himself remained completely still and managed to evade their detection, while at the same time fully prepared to transform at a moment's notice.

"Hey, Mendoza? I've been thinking," Jenkins said in a low whisper after making sure no one else was around them.

"Well if ain't that a dangerous thing to hear," another marine joked, causing Jenkins to shoot him an angered look.

"I'm serious, Bisenti," Jenkins shot back. "Something about this entire thing is off. You heard the Sarge, these people weren't from one of our colonies. By all accounts, they've been here for thousands of years, at least. Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?"

The other marines paused, then after a moment a marine wearing a floppy wide-rimmed hat quietly replied, "Yeah, I've been getting that feeling, too. Part of me thinks this might be a Covenant trap."

"Maybe," another marine, not wearing any headgear whatsoever and allowing his neatly trimmed black hair to be exposed, stated. "I don't know, man. Personally, I would have thought this was an Insurrectionist outpost, but this is way too big for that. More people live here than on Reach. No way Insurrectionists could get that many people."

"Yeah, you're probably right," the hat marine conceded with a shrug. "Guess that discredits my fear, too. No way the Covies would keep that many people alive just for a trap."

"Exactly," Bisenti said, then paused and shook his head. "The way I see it, none of this makes any sense. But they're still human, so we might as well treat them accordingly."

The other marines nodded and prepared to move out, only for one of them to stop and hold up his hand just as Qrow prepared to move. The other marines stopped and waited for the marine to sweep the area. At first, the rifle was at ground level, then it began to rise up into the trees straight towards Qrow's position. When it finally rested on the branch Qrow was standing on, the marine stared at him, then lowered the weapon and shook his head.

"False alarm, just a crow," he declared. "Come on, best to not have Sergeant Johnson wait on us."

"And that's another thing," Jenkins added as they walked off. "Why are there Earth animals here? It makes no sense."

"Jenkins, I advise you to just roll with it. That's what I'm doing," Bisenti argued. The other marines laughed or added their own bits to the conversation, and soon Qrow was left alone.

Once he was certain the coast was clear, Qrow hopped off the tree branch he was perched on and fluttered to the surface. Once he got close enough, his entire body shifted, turning him back into his regular appearance. Happy to have arms instead of wings once again, Qrow reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask, then took a quick swig of the alcoholic beverage inside and stashed it away once more.

"Covenant, huh?" Qrow muttered to himself as he walked off, making sure to not follow the marines lest they grow too suspicious. Their mention of Insurrectionists also intrigued him, but from what he could tell, they were considered an afterthought to the UNSC when compared to this Covenant, whatever they were. Qrow figured Ozpin would make more sense of it, but he did know one thing. He now had at least part of the answer as to what the UNSC was fighting.

* * *

"Hmm," Ozpin hummed to himself as Qrow finished telling him what he had learned. "You're certain this 'Covenant' is whom they're fighting?"

"Absolutely. They mentioned something about an Insurrection, too, but I got the feeling this Covenant was a much bigger deal," Qrow replied, leaning against a wall in Amity Colosseum and crossing his arms. They had chosen a spot well out of earshot, and they were keeping quiet to make sure no one else could overhear them. It was only Qrow and Ozpin at the moment, with Glynda keeping careful watch to make sure no one else got close.

Ozpin hummed again, tapping his fingers atop his cane, then softly asked, "Were you able to find out anything else?"

"Sorry, Oz. All I got was the name," Qrow confirmed, then frowned. "But I dunno. The way they were talking about them…it almost sounded like this Covenant was alien. Like, actualalien. Even if they aren't, it sounds like this Covenant doesn't value human lives at all."

"I can see what you mean, but it's just as likely that this Covenant is simply another group of humans independent of the UNSC," Ozpin argued, then frowned and thought to himself. After a moment, he said, "Even still, while we don't know much, we can still make inferences from their names alone. Names have power and meaning, and the same applies to the names of governments, states, and political groups. Perhaps more so than most, even. This 'Insurrection' sounds to me like they are a rebellion of some kind. Why they are rebelling, I haven't the faintest clue."

"I can think of a few reasons," Qrow argued with a small frown, and Ozpin nodded.

"As can I, but it's best not to jump to conclusions right now. If there is one thing I have learned, it's that not all rebellions could be considered just. Best we learn more before making a decision."

"That's fair," Qrow replied, then asked, "What about this Covenant?"

"Now that is an interesting question," Ozpin confirmed. "It's obvious that they are a separate polity, most likely a breakaway state. On the surface, the name evokes a religious connotation. Perhaps a theocracy, or at the very least a people whose religion is central to their culture. Whatever the case may be, they are at war with the UNSC, that much is certain."

"The UNSC does seem to be pretty secular, from what I can tell," Qrow added. "Maybe this Covenant didn't like that? Wars of religion are a thing, after all."

"Yes, that does seem to be the most likely outcome," Ozpin said with a disappointed sigh. "It's a shame, really. Mankind finally reaches the stars, only for petty differences to tear them apart."

"At least we share that." Qrow then sighed and stood back up, saying, "Well, I better get going before they think something's up. Talk to ya later, Oz."

Ozpin nodded, then he and Qrow separated. While Qrow turned back into a bird and flew back down to the ground where the other soldiers and Huntsmen were gathering, Ozpin went back to the conference room they were using for the meeting. As he walked, he felt a large hand slap across his shoulder, and Ozpin looked to his side to see Professor Theodore smiling at him.

"Ozpin! Nice of you to finally rejoin us!" Theodore declared, his thick arm muscles bulging as he tightly clasped it around his fellow headmaster. Then his cheery demeanor fell for a moment, and he whispered, "What did you find?"

"The UNSC is not as united as they led us to believe," Ozpin whispered. "We've identified at least two groups and entities they are in conflict with."

"How do you want to proceed?" Theodore asked. Ozpin thought for a moment, then nodded once he had an answer.

"Restraint is the best course of action at the moment. We cannot jeopardize this meeting, it's too important. The messier details can be worked out later," Ozpin suggested, and Theodore nodded.

"A smart decision, in my opinion," Theodore declared, then smiled and slapped Ozpin's shoulder again. He boldly declared, "I'm just upset I missed the first meeting! Let me tell you, trying to organize Vacuo is like herding cats. It's very difficult and time consuming."

"I'll take your word on that," Ozpin replied with a smile towards his old friend.

Professor Theodore gripped his shoulder tightly one last time, then he walked away to rejoin the Vacuo delegation, his silver shoes and ruby gloves glistening in the sunlight. Ozpin watched him go, then he turned his head skyward as he noticed one final Pelican dropship fly in from orbit. Rather than land on the ground with the rest of the soldiers, it flew straight into Amity Colosseum, telling Professor Ozpin that the meeting was finally about to occur. He and Professor Theodore quickened their pace, and soon they arrived at the meeting room and took their seats, Ozpin at the center while the other Headmasters were along the sides. A pair of Atlesian soldiers wielding rifles stood at the back corners of the room, keeping a careful watch on the door on the other side.

After a few minutes, they saw heard footsteps come their way. Then the doors on the opposite side of the room opened and revealed a pair of black armored soldiers, the same kind as Sergeant Graves. They were wielding large and somewhat bulky bullpup rifles, and when they took their positions in their corners of the room, they went completely still, keeping a careful watch on their surroundings through their silver visors. While Ozpin and Glynda weren't intimidated, as well as General Ironwood and the other headmasters, they did project an unnerving sight.

Just behind the soldiers was the actual UNSC delegation, which consisted of an elderly man wearing a dark grey tunic with black shoulders. The right side of his chest was adorned with various medals, while the left had the image of a black eagle, its wings raised skyward, standing on top of a planet. His skin was somewhat wrinkled and his once black hair was now greying. He stared at the Remnant delegation through his brown, hardened eyes, but he quickly sat down. Ozpin immediately marked him as the Captain of the vessel, then he turned his attention to the other delegate, a middle-aged woman with short black hair with streaks of grey and piercing blue eyes. In contrast to the clearly military dress uniform that the captain wore, she was wearing a mostly white lab coat with blue markings around it. A blue tunic and pants could be seen underneath it. In her hand was an object that, as she sat down, was placed in front of her. It was a circular pad, which Ozpin figured was a holographic projector of some kind. Then the doors closed, starting the meeting in earnest.

"Ladies, gentlemen, thank you for having us. My apologies for the rude arrival. It was not our intention to cause any alarm. My name is Captain Preston Jeremiah Cole," the man said in a professional tone, his voice deep. Ozpin was once again immensely grateful for the work done on the ADAs that allowed this conversation to occur in the first place, and he nodded.

"It's quite alright, Captain. We know you and the UNSC mean no harm," Ozpin said as diplomatically as possible. So, when Captain Cole raised his eyebrow in confusion, for a moment Ozpin worried he said something wrong. Then, to his surprise, he heard another male voice come from the pad on the table.

"_My apologies, sir. It appears that the translation software updates didn't pick up everything,_" the voice explained, then from the pad sprang a light, clear blue holographic projection of a man wearing ancient bronze armor underneath a toga. The figure then turned towards the delegation and said with a small smile on his face, "He is actually a Vice Admiral and Chief of Naval Operations for the entire United Nations Space Command. Admiral Cole hasn't been a captain in decades."

Ozpin quickly nodded, understanding his minor mistake, but from the corner of his eye he noticed how Ironwood, and the rest of the Atlesian delegation, glanced at Admiral Cole following this new information. He knew why. Assuming the UNSC followed a similar military structure, it was quite likely that Admiral Cole was in the upper echelons of their entire military. It suddenly gave the meeting that much more weight.

"And who might you be?" Doctor Polendina asked once the room recovered. The hologram, which was strangely lifelike, turned to the man and folded his arms behind his back.

"I am UNSC AI Hannibal, serial number HNB 0218-1," he revealed, and both Pietro and Doctor Watts' eyes widened.

"You're an AI? But you're so…lifelike?" Pietro breathed out, and Hannibal nodded.

"He should be," the woman spoke up. For a split second, Ozpin jumped as the voice sounded eerily similar to another that he hadn't heard in so long, yet knew intimately regardless. The woman gave him a quick glance, clearly noticing the reaction but deciding to file it away for later, and added, "Hannibal, like all UNSC Smart AIs, was created from a donated human brain. In addition to generating stellar processing capabilities, it also allows them to form a personality of their own. Hannibal chose to model himself after his namesake, an ancient general from our history, for example."

"Fascinating…" Pietro whispered, then he recomposed himself and turned towards the woman while saying, "Sorry. I just got so caught up in this. My name is Doctor Pietro Polendina, and this is my associate Doctor Arthur Watts. Who might you be?"

"Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey," she answered. "Scientific advisor to the Office of Naval Intelligence. It's a pleasure to meet you, doctor."

The other delegates quickly exchanged pleasantries, introducing themselves to Admiral Cole, Doctor Halsey, and Hannibal so that they could get the meeting underway.

"Once again, we apologize for how our first introductions went," Admiral Cole insisted. "We exercised an overabundance of caution, which in hindsight was not the best decision. I take full responsibility for any undue stress inflicted upon your people by mine."

"I can understand the need for caution," Professor Theodore said, clasping his hands together while resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward, "but I must ask: why did you decide this overabundance was warranted? It seemed almost outright hostile. You must have known our people would have noticed your presence?"

"We were heavily damaged following an engagement," Cole explained, not elaborating any further as to what this engagement entailed. "For security reasons, we entered slipspace randomly, where we found you. After Hannibal picked up your planet's radio signals, we came in to investigate due to how similar they were to our own."

"That doesn't answer our question," a short woman with long blonde hair and a braid added, whom Ozpin recognized as Professor Rumpole, Theodore's right hand woman. "Why didn't you try to contact us once you determined the signals weren't natural?"

"Remnant was just outside the reach of our colonized space. As such, we feared you were Insurrectionists," Cole explained, simultaneously confirming Qrow's information from earlier.

"Insurrectionists?" Rumpole asked, raising an eyebrow.

"One of several loosely organized groups of rebels, terrorists, and insurgents," Halsey explained, clasping her arms together on the table. "They've caused the deaths of millions of civilians over the past fifty years. Due to your planet's proximity to our space, Admiral Cole believed the possibility of your planet being an outpost for them was high, so he acted accordingly. Obviously, that was incorrect."

Halsey shot Admiral Cole a quick glance, but he refused to meet her gaze to instead focus on the Remnant delegation. Ozpin, meanwhile, focused on both what she said as well as what they didn't. The thought of a rebellion causing millions of casualties was horrifying to him, as well as to the rest of his colleagues. Assuming that the UNSC was telling the truth, and Ozpin knew at best they were only telling a partial one, there would have been reason to both suspect rebel activity as well as investigate it. If these Insurrectionists truly were behind the deaths of millions, he'd be cautious, too. Of course, they didn't say _why_ the Insurrectionists were rebelling, but he figured they'd learn that later.

"In any case, I sent special forces operators to the planet to conduct recon, which is when we learned the truth," Cole admitted, then paused and added, "and came into contact with the Grimm."

Ozpin and the others nodded, with Ironwood saying, "You have our condolences for the loss of your men. We understand that pain all too well."

"I'd imagine so," Cole somberly replied. "I sent sixty men down here. Only half came back."

Ozpin slowly nodded sympathetically, then he said, "Which leads us to our next topic of discussion. Your soldiers chose to intervene against Grimm attacks on isolated villages. They would have been destroyed had they not, and for that we thank you."

"Just as we thank you for rescuing and healing Staff Sergeant Ethan Graves," Cole declared. "You have no idea how much that lifted my men's spirits."

"It was our pleasure," Ozpin insisted. He was being sincere, as over the weeks he had grown to appreciate Graves' company.

The meeting fell back from pleasantries and shifted focus to the broader subjects after that. Both sides exchanged basic information about their peoples, cultures, and histories, along with clearing up any misunderstandings. One of which was the name of the UEG, which was the _Unified_ Earth Government, not United. An easily understandable translator error, which luckily didn't need much adjusting. The White Fang delegates from Menagerie were also surprised that the Faunus were not among the UNSC. In fact, before arriving at Remnant, Faunus were completely unheard of. Both of them were somewhat disappointed, and Ozpin could see why. After all, if humans were somehow in space, it stood to reason that the Faunus could have been, too. Luckily, they managed to push aside their disappointment for now, and the meeting continued.

"So, your government is a democracy?" Professor Lionheart asked, and Hannibal nodded.

"We are, yes. The UEG is a representative democracy," Hannibal reiterated. "The UNSC is merely the military arm of the government. We are in charge of providing security and protecting human colonies from Insurrectionists, pirates, and more."

Ozpin nodded, once again noting that while the UNSC appeared to openly discuss the Insurrection, the Covenant wasn't mentioned once. This convinced him more than anything else that the Covenant was the UNSC's true enemy at the moment, but he continued to bite his tongue.

"What about your economy?" Jacques Schnee asked, leaning against the table on his arm. "Remnant is a capitalist society. Can the same be said about yours?"

"UEG citizens enjoy a wide array of personal and economic freedoms," Halsey confirmed. "While the government does enjoy a close relationship with several companies, the economy itself operates under free market principles."

"I see," Jacques said and paused for a moment. He then asked, "How can we expect, then, for Remnant to operate in your interstellar economy? Our market, while global, is still only one planet whereas yours spans hundreds. What is to stop your companies from simply drowning out our own?"

"Speaking from experience there?" Sienna Khan asked pointedly. Jacques and several others shot her a look, and Ozpin noted that Admiral Cole and Doctor Halsey readily picked up on the undertones.

He sighed internally. Just as he had been picking up on the subtle darker side of the UNSC, the side that they clearly didn't want to convey, the UNSC was also picking up on Remnant's. Specifically the treatment of the Faunus. While the UNSC was treating Ghira and Sienna with the utmost respect, the same could not be said with most of the Remnant delegation. The worst offenders were Mistral's, and barbs and jabs were commonly thrown between both groups. Clearly, the UNSC did not particularly enjoy what they were seeing, which told Ozpin that they had managed to move past similar grievances of their own. Perhaps such behavior was now considered taboo, which gave Ozpin some hope that the same could come to be on Remnant in due time.

"To answer your question," Cole finally spoke up, bringing everyone's attention back to him, "that particular area is outside of our expertise. But I can say that the UNSC and UEG would prefer to work with Remnant's native companies to facilitate trade. We understand your concerns in that area."

Jacques nodded, but if he was placated by that answer he didn't show it. Ozpin wondered what, exactly, he was thinking, but obviously it was foremost about himself and not the rest of the planet. At the same time, he did raise a valid concern. History was rife with larger entities swooping into an area and overwhelming what others had to offer simply due to access to larger resources. This often led to exploitation, and while Jacques Schnee was certainly guilty of doing just that, the UNSC had the capability to do it on a global scale. If integration into an interstellar economy wasn't handled properly, Remnant would become nothing more than a mere puppet of a government not of their own making.

"What about the faunus? Can we expect any differential treatment due to the differences between our people?" Ghira asked, his tone easily conveying that he was speaking from experience. Just as Jacques was solely concerned with the UNSC's impact on Remnant's economy, Ghira Belladonna was solely concerned with the treatment of his people.

Cole nodded, remaining professional as he declared, "We intend to treat the people of Remnant, both human and faunus, with the utmost respect and as equals. In our eyes, we're all human, even if there are some differences."

Ghira nodded with a small smile, clearly satisfied with the answer. Sienna was slightly more suspicious, but even she was growing more and more satisfied. In fact, from the conversations that had been going on over the past few hours, both Ghira and Sienna had repeatedly shown that they were pleased with how the talks were going. By all indications, it appeared that the UNSC had no desires to perpetuate the discrimination against the faunus that the other kingdoms exhibited, and even Ozpin hoped that would lead to positive change in the future.

That was the major sense he was getting about this entire meeting. There were clearly challenges and issues regarding the UNSC, challenges he would have to keep an eye on to ensure everything would develop smoothly for his people. But in those challenges were opportunities that could lead Remnant into a brighter tomorrow. Despite his misgivings, he had to at least attempt to take advantage of the opportunity.

"Now, onto other matters," Ozpin began, then he stopped. The hairs on the back of his neck rose up, causing the rest of the delegation to take notice. At the same time, the other headmasters did the same along with their fellow professors, and they looked out the window towards the forest that surrounded them. Cole, Halsey, and Hannibal followed their gazes, and all they saw was the violent ruffling of trees.

A moment later, the alarms blared.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here's the latest chapter of _Dust and Echoes_. Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for all their help in bringing this story to life.

The UNSC and Remnant have started their true talks, but Salem's forces have struck. What comes next, you guys will have to wait and see.

Now, onto the Q&A:

**Proto 150: **Thank you, I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so much so far. Happy to have exceeded your expectations.

**Guest (1): **Thank you. I strive to ensure that my writing is of the highest quality. As for length of time between chapters, I aim for two chapters per month for all three of my stories.

**Cyberpunk1-009: **Thank you, that really means a lot to me. I'm glad that my story has you hooked and evokes anticipation. That's the feeling I really want to convey to everyone, as I feel it adds to the story tremendously.

**SulliMike23: **Yep, she did.

**Evinco: **That is entirely accurate. As for what the Brothers are in this setting, that will be revealed in due time.

**Shadowstorm-Vash: **As in RWBY canon, Salem is completely immortal in this setting. Remember, Ozma reduced her to ash and she just came back. A MAC round would just do the same thing. It would hurt like hell, but she'd get back up. As for Kalib, I did indent for that feeling to come across. She was supposed to be sympathetic.

**kpmh2001: **Thank you. One of the things I really strive to do is get Chief's character right. He's really hard to do effectively, but if done well he's so fascinating a character. And yeah, since this is a sci-fi story, a more scientific view of things is applicable. As for pointers, I'd advise keeping everyone in character, emphasize the unknown and monumental nature of a First Contact, and what both sides want. If it's going all hunky-dory, you're not really taking full advantage of the scenario, in my opinion.

**Knighthunter911700: **Oh, I think you guys are going to enjoy next chapter.

**BanzEye:** Yep, one of the things I strive to do is fit everyone's character. Salem isn't a bulldozer, although she certainly has the capability to do so. She's a scalpel more than anything else, and I wanted to emphasize that. As Ozpin said in the chapter, she isn't stupid. Far from it. If I had her simply rush in, she would be stupid, so I didn't have her do that.

**Vein Bloodborne: **You will have to wait and see.

**edboy4926: **No, the SPARTAN-IIs are not public knowledge yet. Hence why Blue Team is not mentioned or directly seen at the meeting. As for the Wizard of Oz, as mentioned earlier, don't expect it to be a major thing. At most, it'll be regarded as a interesting coincidence, then moved on. If I even decide to bring attention to it in the first place, which I probably won't.

**Steelrain66:** As you can see, they did. And Johnson was brought along with them. As for ONI and Parangosky, they'll come into play soon, trust me on that.

**Dragon lord Syed 101: **More on that as the story develops.

That's it for this time. I hope you all enjoy! See you next time and let us know what you think!


	10. Brothers in Arms

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 9: Brothers in Arms**

[~][~]

"So, what's this thing called?" Qrow asked as he and Avery Johnson walked around the encampment underneath Amity Colosseum. They were stopped in front of one of the UNSC's ground vehicles, an armored car with a chain gun turret on the back.

"This here," Johnson replied with a smile on his face as he slapped his hand on its hull, "is the M12 LRV, more commonly known as the Warthog. It is the backbone of the entire UNSC's ground forces. It has four-inch ballistic polycarbonate and carbon nanotube plating over a titanium chassis, capable of reaching speeds up to 125 kilometers per hour and a maximum range of 790 kilometers on a single twelve-liter tank. This one is armed with an M41 Light Anti-Air Gun, capable of spitting out fifty-caliber rounds at an extremely high rate of fire. Any Grimm that pops out of those woods or in the air will be cut down before they know what hit them."

Qrow nodded, eyeing the vehicle up and down, then asked, "Why do you call it the Warthog?"

"Because M12 LRV is hard to say in conversation," Johnson sarcastically replied, prompting Qrow to snort. The sergeant smiled and laughed at the reaction while Qrow quickly composed himself, then the veteran Huntsman raised his eyebrow.

"While that may be true," he admitted, "it doesn't look like a pig to me. It looks more like a big cat, like a puma."

"Yep, we hear that a lot," Johnson said with a shrug, then he pointed to the tow hooks on the front. "But apparently, when we adopted this thing over two-hundred years ago, the boys in the CMA thought the hooks looked like tusks and, given how robust and sturdy the Warthog is, gave it a nickname that stuck."

"Your people really like to name your vehicles after animals, don't you?" Qrow asked, idly noting the fact that the Warthog was apparently that old, and Johnson nodded as he pulled out a cigar and placed it into his mouth without lighting it.

"That we do, Branwen. That we do," Johnson confirmed, leaning back against the car's hull while keeping a close lookout on the woods. After a moment, Qrow nodded back, then he joined the sergeant in leaning against the Warthog.

"Certainly fits the theme," Qrow pointed out as a flight of Hornets flew overhead, joined by Atlesian Bullheads. "Dropships are Pelicans, those aircraft are Hornets. Any other animals I should be concerned about?"

"If we have to pull out the Scorpion, we have bigger problems," Johnson replied, lighting his cigar and breathing in its noxious fumes. He breathed out with a satisfied look on his face, but when he saw Qrow look at the cigar questioningly, Johnson took it out and asked, "Let me guess: you guys have tobacco here, too?"

"Yes, we do," Qrow answered. "Ours causes cancer. Does yours not?"

"What's 'cancer?'" Johnson asked, holding the cigar in his fingers. Qrow stared at the man for a few moments, thinking over his response. From the bewildered look on Johnson's face, it was clear he had absolutely no idea what Qrow as talking about, which told him one of two things. Either these UNSC marines were extremely lacking in their basic medical knowledge, something that he personally doubted, or miraculously the UNSC had managed to _cure_ cancer so long ago it was now considered to not be worth knowing about. Qrow prayed to the two Brothers that it was the latter.

"Forget I said anything," Qrow requested. After a moment, Johnson shrugged then he put the cigar back into his mouth. Qrow, meanwhile, went back to observing the forest. Briefly, his eyes went up to the colosseum overhead where the actual meeting was underway.

He wondered what, exactly, they were talking about, and more importantly, what they _weren't _talking about. Johnson had proven to be quite the chatty person, more than eager to engage in idle chatter with Qrow, but there were certain things the marine refused to talk about in any detail. When he asked for details on Earth, Johnson only gave vague details about it being the birthplace of humanity and left it at that. Nothing about population, demographics, geography, anything. Questions about the UNSC's colonies met the same result, telling Qrow that the UNSC did not want Remnant to know too much about them at the moment. Qrow wasn't too upset about those secrets, though. After all, this was as much a first contact for Remnant as it was for the UNSC. They were allowed to keep some secrets.

As always, though, Qrow was much more interested in the secrets that directly affected Remnant and its safety. With that in mind, he couldn't care less about where this Earth was in comparison to any spaceborne threats the UNSC might bring with them. Such as this Covenant, which Johnson didn't say anything about. Not that Qrow was stupid enough to bring it up directly. Instead, he was keeping his eyes and ears open, and what he saw offered him plenty of information. On the soldiers themselves, their armors were coated with that heat resistant film, and on a few he saw what looked to be burns on their exposed skin. Burns that didn't match what one would get if they simply touched a hot surface or fell into fire. Rather, the burns looked more like those he saw from people who were shot by a Fire Dust round, telling him that this Covenant likely used weapons involving high heat, possibly plasma. If that was true, it would explain why they placed so much emphasis on heat dispersal. They needed it to protect themselves.

But the UNSC themselves only used ballistics, from what he could see. If their enemies used high heat in their weapons, but the UNSC didn't, that told him one of two things. Either one, his preferred scenario, the UNSC felt the use of such weapons was barbaric and inhumane, thus banning their use. The other, more terrifying scenario was that this Covenant, whom Qrow knew deep down were the users of these supposed plasma weapons, were more technologically advanced than the UNSC. It was a scenario Qrow did not like to think about, but he did so all the same simply due to the fear of what that could mean for Remnant. The UNSC, in many ways, was more advanced than them, but if the Covenant was more advanced than the UNSC, what did that mean for Remnant? For the sake of every human and faunus who called this planet home, he had to know more, and it pained him more than anything else that he had to bite his tongue for now.

Qrow trusted Ozpin's judgement. If Ozpin felt now wasn't the time to ask that question, he'd follow his lead. But as soon as he got the chance, Qrow as going to get to the bottom of it. Hopefully, that came sooner rather than later.

Johnson knew exactly what Qrow Branwen was doing, which was why he was staying so close to the man. Qrow may have thought he was acting with subtlety, but Johnson wasn't fooled. The man was fishing for information, and while that may have been concerning to some, it wasn't to Johnson. He knew exactly why Qrow was doing that. Qrow was concerned with the safety of his people, and a bunch of soldiers popping up out of nowhere would be cause for concern. Johnson didn't blame Qrow for trying to pry, with part of him wanting to be honest about the threat the Covenant posed. Although these humans weren't part of the UNSC, he knew the Covenant wouldn't care. If they found this place, they'd burn it to the ground just like all of their other colonies. Harvest, Eridanus II, Madrigal. Remnant would join them and hundreds more. The Covenant were the greatest threat humanity had ever seen, and Remnant had a right to know what danger they posed to them.

But, at the same time, Johnson knew that telling Remnant about the Covenant at this time would be a disaster. How else could it end if a foreign power, whom by all appearances were alien, told them 'there's an alien empire who's stronger than us out there who wants to kill you simply because you're human'? It would not go over well, assuming the people of Remnant even believed them. If the UNSC wanted things to go well, perhaps even gain Remnant as an ally, they had to play their cards right. Hence the secrecy.

At the same time, Johnson kept his eye on their surroundings, just as he had been doing for the past several hours. So far, nothing had happened yet, but he refused to take that as a sign that things were going according to plan. Nothing ever did. Eventually, something was bound to go wrong, and it was his job to ensure everything went smoothly.

"Fireteam Charlie, what's your status?" Johnson asked, bringing his hand to his ear and tapping into TEAMCOM.

"_Finishing up our perimeter sweep now, Sarge,_" Private Wallace A. Jenkins revealed. "_Just checking up on the last watchtower, then we'll head back._"

"Sounds good, Private. Keep me posted," Johnson replied, then hopped off TEAMCOM and stood up. He stretched his limbs and looked to the side at Qrow, who was doing the same. Johnson couldn't help but take note of the sword hilt attached to Qrow's hip, and he raised his eyebrow.

"Gotta ask," he said. "You guys have robots, flying battleships, floating colosseums, and a lot of guns. Why do you feel the need to carry around a sword?"

"Harbinger's not just a sword," Qrow insisted, tapping his hand against the hilt.

"Oh, so it has a name. That's neat."

"All weapons used by Huntsmen and Huntresses do," Qrow clarified. "Each one fights with a unique weapon designed by them for their own unique fighting style. No two Huntsmen are ever truly alike."

"Wouldn't it make a lot more sense to just train a bunch of people together and give them standardized equipment? Seems easier to me," Johnson asked, tapping into his military background. The idea of having a bunch of warriors running around with non-standardized equipment was foreign to him. Sure, he understood the value of special forces using different gear, but in a prolonged engagement, having everyone use different weapons with different ammunition would make battlefield coordination a nightmare.

But then, Johnson reminded himself that he was dealing with people who had a history and culture which was completely separate from Earth's. These people were born on Remnant, and as such undoubtedly developed their own thoughts on things. Perhaps it made sense to them. It sure didn't for him, but he wasn't here to make judgements. Still, Qrow decided to answer, although only after rolling his eyes.

"Huntsmen aren't soldiers. We're not beholden to one kingdom and one kingdom only. Instead, anyone can hire our services to deal with the Grimm," Qrow revealed. "We're trained to be self-sufficient, so supply chains aren't really a factor for us."

That little detail threw Johnson off, and with his eyebrows raised, he asked, "Wait, people _hire_ you? Like mercenaries?"

"Kinda, yeah," Qrow admitted with a nonchalant shrug. "I don't consider myself to be one, but there are some who are more unscrupulous than others."

"Why?" Johnson asked, and Qrow looked at him in the eyes.

"Because by making the Huntsmen independent, it prevented any one kingdom from threatening the others," he revealed. "I know what you're thinking: why not use armies and soldiers to protect people from the Grimm? Well, we used to do that, but the thing about armies is that they can be used for more than just hunting Grimm. They can be used against people and other kingdoms, too, which is how wars start. Including the one that nearly wiped us out. So, in the wake of that, we decided to get rid of our armies, to replace them with local defense forces and leave the hunting of Grimm to trained specialists who could be used by any kingdom. Much harder to go to war when you don't have a standing army that can be deployed on the whims of politicians. It's worked out for us so far. We haven't had a war in almost 70 years."

"Then how come Atlas has one?" Johnson asked, eyeing the airship hanging overhead. Qrow looked up as well, and his expression hardened. Johnson felt that Qrow did not particularly like the idea of armies or standing militaries. He was about to change the subject when Qrow sighed and shook his head.

"Their people wanted one, so their leaders gave them one. Not everyone's happy about it, and it's only gotten bigger ever since General Ironwood was put in charge," Qrow replied.

Johnson now felt conflicted. From what he could see, the people of Remnant felt that armies and militaries were more trouble then they were worth, assuming that Qrow's sentiments were shared by the average person. At the very least, he could attest to the fact that only Atlas really had what he could call a true military. In a world where the biggest threats were animalistic monsters, perhaps only having specialists to hunt them down like a scalpel made sense. But, the Covenant weren't like the Grimm, and he feared that Remnant may be forced to change simply for the sake of survival. Nothing about that seemed right to him, and he wondered just how much their arrival would affect things for them.

Before he could really ruminate on those thoughts further, however, Johnson suddenly heard TEAMCOM blare to life.

"_Sarge, we got a problem!_" Jenkins revealed, his voice sounding panicked.

"What is it, Jenkins?" Johnson asked, causing Qrow to suddenly focus his attention on the sergeant.

"_The watchtower's been tampered with! It's offline!_"

"What do you mean it's offline?!" Johnson shouted, causing everyone around him to stop what they were doing and focus on him. At that moment, Johnson transferred the call over to the BATTLENET, allowing everyone to hear what was being reported.

"_Something smashed the tower up!_" Jenkins revealed. "_Don't know how long ago, but I'm seeing tracks all over the place! They're heading right to you!_"

"Dammit!" Johnson cursed. "Get back here as soon as you can!"

"_Already on our way!_" Jenkins revealed, then he signed off, allowing Johnson to turn around and face the suddenly bustling camp. A moment later, the alarm blared, alerting everyone of the danger coming their way. This seemed to aggravate whatever was approaching, and he heard the trees begin to sway as something, a lot of somethings, moved through them.

Johnson narrowed his eyes, and with one wave of his arm, the marines under his command got into position. Turrets angled towards the tree line, rifles poked out from behind cover, and Hornets stopped their patrols to settle overhead. Remnant's forces were doing the same, and even Qrow and his fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses pulled out their myriad array of weapons. To Johnson's surprise, many of them unfolded from a compact carrying form to one meant for battle, and Johnson could have sworn that Harbinger had a trigger on its hilt. He didn't have time to focus on that, however, and as he took his MA5B assault rifle off of the magnetic holster on his back, he placed his cigar back into his mouth and began to speak.

"Men, keep your eyes downrange, fingers on your triggers, and we all go home in one piece!" he began, marching up to the frontline. "This is where we show those angry, shadowy sons of bitches that they couldn't have picked a worse enemy than the human race! We will meet the enemy head on and blow them straight back to Hell where they belong! They may think they can scare us, but all they'll find is a belly full of lead, and the skulls of their friends ripped from their spines as we toss them away laughing! AM I RIGHT, MARINES?!"

"SIR, YES SIR!" the marines all shouted at once, and even a few of the Atlesian soldiers and Remnant militiamen joined in.

"Mmhm-hmm, damn right I am," Johnson said, then he crouched down and aimed his rifle towards the trees. He could now hear the roars and snarls of the Grimm as they rushed inexorably closer, and in the distance, past the trees, he saw a sea of black flooding towards them. As soon as he saw the reds of their eyes, he shouted, "LET 'EM HAVE IT!"

Just as the words left his mouth, a hail of gunfire shot forward, cutting down everything in its path.

* * *

The conference room was awash in activity. Pietro Polendina, Arthur Watts, Jacques Schnee, and the other civilian delegates were staring out the window overlooking the battle below. They watched as the soldiers and Huntsmen fought the Grimm, shooting at any they could see. With the amount of gunfire spewing out of their weapons, several trees had their trunks reduced to splinters. Black smoke was billowing upward through the trees, serving as an effective visual as to how many Grimm had been killed thus far. Yet the Grimm still came, and Jacques couldn't help but feel a creeping nervousness that showed through his wide eyes and clenched fist held near his mouth.

Pietro and Arthur, on the other hand, were watching the display with open curiosity, focusing not on the Grimm but the weapons the UNSC had brought to bear. Thus far, they were proving to be quite effective, and the soldiers themselves, from what they could see, were displaying a remarkable level of bravery in the face of a seemingly endless horde.

"Hannibal, give me status," Cole ordered as holographic projectors built inside the conference room activated, displaying a topographic map of the surrounding area on top of the table. Green dots representing UNSC and Remnant personnel were promptly added, followed by a sea of black dots representing the Grimm.

"Grimm forces have breached our defenses at this point," Hannibal revealed, highlighting the destroyed sensor tower. How, exactly, that occurred hadn't been revealed as of yet, but Cole intended to find that out as soon as possible. Right now, however, they had bigger problems.

Like water flowing through a bottleneck or a breached dam, the Grimm were rushing through the point and spreading out, most rushing towards the humans while others attacked the other defensive fortifications along the perimeter. More and more were being destroyed, widening the gap and allowing more Grimm to advance unimpeded.

"Hmm, they are displaying a surprising amount of coordination," Halsey noted as yet another fortification was destroyed. "Tell me, do Grimm normally focus on creating a small gap to focus their attention on?"

"Not usually, no," Ozpin admitted with a frown, clutching the top of his cane tightly. "Unless they have an alpha leading them."

"Alpha?" Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.

"An older, larger, more experienced, and more powerful Grimm," Ozpin explained. "As Grimm grow older, they grow more dangerous. Not just because they become stronger physically, but because they begin to learn. They realize that it is better to wait for the opportune moment rather than attack right away. It is more than likely that one or more of these Alphas are leading this attack."

"Am I correct in assuming that eliminating these 'Alphas' would reduce the Grimm's effectiveness?" Cole asked. When Ozpin nodded, Cole nodded back and added, "Then we have some high value targets. Hannibal, relay to all teams this information. I want those Alpha Grimm eliminated as soon as possible."

"Right away, sir," Hannibal replied as he sent the appropriate information out.

Next to him, General Ironwood and the rest of the headmasters directed their subordinates around the stadium. Cole and the others heard a deep thump as the Atlesian airships fired their weapons into the Grimm horde, making sure to keep away from firing too closely near their position.

Cole then nodded and turned back towards the table. As he watched the Grimm horde advance, currently stalled at the front line by the wall of guns they had amassed, he wondered what else he should bring to bear. Part of him wanted to fire a low-powered MAC round into the heart of the swarm, wiping out a large swath of them in one fell swoop, but at the same time he knew that had a high risk of collateral damage. Not to mention the diplomatic SNAFU that would be the use of WMDs on a civilization's homeworld during First Contact. No, MAC rounds and Archer missiles were sadly off the table at this moment. Luckily, however, they did have other forces available, and as he saw the Grimm horde's size and spread be fully mapped out, he nodded in approval.

"Hannibal, have all ODSTs launch and land on the Grimm's perimeter. Launch Albatrosses to reinforce them with armor as well," he ordered, marking appropriate zones on the table. Hannibal nodded, and after a few moments turned back to face Admiral Cole.

"ODSTs and armor support are away, sir," he revealed. Cole nodded, but then he noticed the headmasters and General Ironwood give him a questioning look. Realizing what their confusion was about, he moved to explain.

"ODSTs stand for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers," he explained, the two ODSTs serving as his and Halsey's guards standing up slightly straighter at the mention. "They're elite special forces operators of the UNSC, inserting from orbit behind enemy lines to attack high value targets."

"We're the best of the best," one of the ODSTs added, but when Halsey harrumphed dismissively he gave her a cross look from his polarized visor. Cole ignored her, intending to chastise her break in decorum after this was over. At the same time, the Remnant delegation were looking concerned, and after a moment Cole figured why. Most likely from their point of view, dropping isolated soldiers deep behind Grimm lines was just asking for them to be swarmed. He could understand that concern, which was why he felt it prudent enough to send Albatrosses, too.

Then, General Ironwood asked, "Wait, when you say 'inserting from orbit,' do you actually mean…?

In response, both ODSTs chuckled and one said, "Let's just say there's a reason we're called Helljumpers."

After a few beats of her fellows' obstinate refusal to oblige the soldier's prompt, Glynda rolled her eyes at them all and took the overt cue herself and asked, "Why are you called that?"

"Because ODSTs drop straight into Hell feet first."

* * *

Johnson had long since abandoned the idea of short controlled bursts as he fired his rifle into the Grimm, not releasing his hold on the trigger until his magazine clicked empty. The rest of his men were doing the same thing, creating overlapping fields of fire that cut down any of the abominations as they got close. Snipers sitting on watchtowers fired precise shots into heads, making them pop like balloons filled with a thick black tar, and Hornets hovering overhead fired their chainguns and rockets into the horde in an effort to thin them out. Combined with the Warthogs' mounted chainguns and gauss cannons, they were putting up a valiant effort if Johnson said so himself.

But it wasn't enough. Despite their losses, the Grimm were continuing to advance, ignoring their fallen brethren as though they didn't even exist. With how the bodies immediately decomposed into black dust upon their deaths, they might as well not have existed in the first place. It was unnerving, to say the least, but Johnson refused to allow himself to become nervous. As far as he was concerned, he and his marines had a job to do, and nothing was going to prevent that.

When he reloaded his assault rifle, however, he heard a large boom and crack and something big began rushing towards them. The Grimm parted, and then he and the rest of the marines saw a massive scorpion-like creature break through the trees as though they were nothing more than toothpicks. One of the Huntsmen yelled out "Deathstalker!" but he couldn't tell who said it as he focused his attention on shooting the oversized insect. The Deathstalker clicked its massive pincers menacingly, and it rushed towards the nearest Warthog which was both firing its chaingun into the creature's carapace while the driver attempted to reverse and drive away. Unfortunately, the Deathstalker was deceptively fast for its size, and it slammed its head into the front of the Warthog then flipped it onto its side. The gunner was hurled from his position while the driver was pinned against the ground, screaming out in terror.

"No!" Johnson shouted, reaching for a frag grenade as the Deathstalker raised its tail high into the air, ignoring the bullets ricocheting off its armor as it prepared to drive the glowing appendage into the vehicle and the driver trapped inside. Before it could, however, Johnson watched as a black blur shot towards the Grimm and sliced the stinger clean off, launching it upwards at the same time.

"What the-?" Johnson muttered as the blur stopped on the opposite side of the Grimm, which was roaring in pain and backing off.

To Johnson's surprise, he saw that the blur was Qrow Branwen, now holding some kind of large, segmented scythe for some reason, to the side and giving the Grimm a glare of utter contempt. The veteran Huntsman eyed the falling armor-piercing stinger, and a moment later he jumped up and slammed the back of the scythe head into the top, driving it down like a stake into the Deathstalker's head. He followed the attack by bracing the scythe against his torso and firing a shotgun blast out of it, using the recoil to send him into a pinwheeling dive down into the stinger heel first to drive it completely through. The Grimm stirred and twitched for a few seconds as though it was futilely attempting to continue or even retreat, but then it stilled and disintegrated into dust.

Qrow, meanwhile, nodded to himself, then jogged over to the overturned Warthog while collapsing the weapon back into the more recognizable sword form of Harbinger with a series of clanks and implanting it into the ground. He then gripped both hands onto the hood and effortlessly turned it over back to its upright position.

"You okay?" he asked the driver, who was gripping the steering wheel like her life depended on it. Shakily, she looked at Qrow and nodded, who nodded back before patting the rim of the windshield and walking away. As he did, he grabbed Harbinger's hilt and jogged back to the frontline, which was beginning to reorganize while Johnson remained focused on Qrow.

The marine's mind was whirling, trying its best to analyze what it saw. Johnson knew that, on average, the people of Remnant were stronger than they were, but there was no reason for him to suspect that translated to moving that fast or being strong enough to lift a three-ton vehicle like it was nothing. It took nearly a whole squad of marines to do that, and the only thing comparable he could think of was a SPARTAN. But what Qrow just did was on another level, and he could barely make heads or tails of it.

"Nevermores!" another shouted as a flock of large raven-like Grimm shot out of the forest, flying above the Hornets.

With mighty caws, they flapped their wings and sent a hail of feathers the size of tree trunks into the aircrafts. They tried to strafe away, but most were hit. The feathers sheared off engines, causing the Hornets to fall into a death spiral and explode upon crashing into the ground. Others suffered a glancing blow, which caused them to smoke and wobble dangerously while also throwing the marines sitting on the landing struts off, where they crashed onto the ground and died upon impact. A pair of unfortunate pilots were struck in the cockpits, painting them bright red before they exploded into a ball of fire. Their burning husks fell to the ground, forcing the marines to scatter lest they be crushed.

Almost immediately, the Warthogs angled their chainguns upward and fired upon the avian monstrosities, and they eventually went down. But enough of a gap was forged in the fire lines to allow the Grimm to break through, closing the distance between them and their human prey in an effort to cut them all down. The front line was forced to scatter as the marines and soldiers were thrust into a close quarters engagement.

Refocusing himself on the task at hand, Johnson fired his rifle into the body of an ursine creature covered in bone armor plates and spikes, its eyes crimson red. It took nearly a quarter of his entire magazine to put it down, but by then it had already gutted an unfortunate marine with one swipe of its massive claws. Turning on his heels, he crouched to fire another full auto burst into the head of a Grimm that was nearly all mouth. As soon as it dropped dead, he dive rolled to the side as a lupine Grimm tried to maul him. Johnson fired the rest of his magazine into its gut, causing the Grimm to fall onto its back twitching in pain. Johnson then pulled out his M6D and fired two shots into its head, finally killing it and allowing him to move on to his next target.

Lining up his smart-linked scope, Johnson fired his magnum into the Grimm horde. By the time he had to reload, he had killed another pair of the werewolf Grimm, but then a large bear barreled towards him. Johnson barely had time to dive away before it slammed into a wrecked Warthog that was behind the sergeant. The cracked windshield shattered into a million pieces, and the car itself was flipped end over end as it was sent flying.

Without missing a beat, Johnson threw a grenade which landed at the bear's feet. It exploded with a deep thump, but while the bear staggered, black blood pouring out of its legs and a few of the spikes breaking off, it still stood tall. It glared angrily at Johnson as he stood up, roaring into his face while he placed his cigar back into his mouth.

"Too hot for ya, Smokey?" he asked, reloading his magnum and aiming it at the monster.

It roared again in response, but just as it prepared to maul Johnson, Qrow suddenly reappeared, slamming into the side of the bear with enough force to send it skidding back. The bear's claws carved deeply into the dirt, and when it stopped it roared angrily at the Huntsman. Qrow, however, merely charged at the bear and swung his sword, meeting its arms head on. To Johnson's shock, Qrow stopped the powerful blow dead in its tracks, the impact creating a small crater in the soil under his feet.

As Johnson recollected his bearings and reloaded his MA5B, Qrow kicked the Grimm away then swung Harbinger upward across its chin. The blade split the head in half, the remains barely connected to the neck by a string of black sinew. With an almost absentminded push with his free hand, the Grimm fell to the ground and disintegrated into dust. Only then did the Huntsman turn to face Johnson, who was staring at him incredulously.

"What?" Qrow asked as the battle waged around them. From the corner of his eye, Johnson saw the rest of the Huntsmen engage the Grimm head on, displaying outlandish feats of speed and strength that were far beyond what anyone could naturally do. After a few moments of staring, Johnson turned back to Qrow.

"How are you doing that?" Johnson asked, and Qrow raised his eyebrow. After a moment, he understood where Johnson was coming from and shrugged.

"Aura," Qrow nonchalantly answered as though it was obvious.

"What the hell is Aura?" Johnson demanded.

"Soul powers," Qrow answered matter-of-factly.

Johnson was about to inquire more, only for them to hear another Deathstalker barrel its way towards them. Both warriors turned around and prepared to face the creature, but then something slammed into the top of the monster's carapace. The Deathstalker's entire body caved in from the impact, and as it disintegrated they saw a dark metal box imbedded into the earth. A moment later, the front exploded off, revealing an ODST brandishing a shotgun who immediately fired an 8-guage shell into the head of another Grimm. All around them, they saw other drop pods land, each ferrying a lone ODST who immediately engaged the enemy all around them. At the same time, a few Albatross dropships landed, depositing their stored Scorpion tanks which rolled out and fired their cannons and machine guns, both coaxial and secondary, into the Grimm.

Qrow glanced upward where he saw other pods descend from the upper atmosphere, and he asked, "Did those guys just drop from orbit?"

"They did, yes," Johnson confirmed. "ODSTs tend to be crazy enough to do that routinely."

"…Huh," Qrow replied, a hint of respect in his voice. Johnson couldn't help but chuckle at the familiar reaction. People tended to do that when they learned just what ODSTs did on a regular basis.

A victorious and jubilant roar of approval went out from their ranks as the battle picked back up in earnest. Johnson smiled and glanced at Qrow, who was smiling as well despite his gruff demeanor. He then looked at Johnson, and the two warriors nodded at each other before rushing back out to reengage.

* * *

Ozpin's focus was divided at the moment. On the one hand, he had to worry about the situation on the ground. Although it was certainly improving, with the UNSC's forces rallying behind the Huntsmen and Huntresses Remnant had brought to bear, things could always turn south at a moment's notice. It was when things were going well that the rug tended to be ripped out from underneath someone's feet, after all. At the same time, Ozpin was focused on the reactions of the UNSC delegation. The looks on their faces as they watched Huntsmen and Huntresses operate at peak ability spoke loudly of their surprise and wonder.

"What is this?" Cole breathlessly asked as they watched a Huntress from Mistral slam a massive hammer into the head of a Beowolf, cratering the ground and causing the earth to split apart and rupture.

"This shouldn't be physically possible. Humans are not this strong or fast," Hannibal noted as another Huntsman, wielding a sword, flashed through a line of Creeps and Ursa and cut them all in half seemingly in one fell swoop. Another took a blow from an Ursa that was enough to destroy one of the UNSC's Warthogs, yet the woman merely got up no worse for wear and reengaged with a battle cry. Despite being an AI, the wonder in Hannibal's voice was easily conveyed.

Then Halsey, who was looking at the footage with a calculating gaze, turned her attention towards Ozpin and asked, "Professor, do you mind explaining what is going on? These Huntsmen and Huntresses of yours, are they biologically augmented in some way or using some otherwise highly specialized technology?"

Shaking his head while letting out a small knowing smile, Ozpin answered, "While Huntsmen and Huntresses do use their own unique weapons and equipment, they are not biologically augmented. They are merely using their Aura and Semblances."

That caused the Admiral to break his attention from the holotable, and he raised his eyebrow while asking, "Aura? Semblances? Forgive me, but I do not quite understand."

"It is alright," Ozpin replied.

He had figured this discussion was going to happen sooner or later, and at the very least he now had absolute confirmation that, up until this point, the UNSC had never encountered Aura before. Although the Headmaster would have preferred a much calmer environment to explain such matters, he had to work with the hand he was dealt. Ozpin motioned for Glynda to take the reins, and she did so immediately.

"Given our current circumstances," Glynda began as they heard an explosion of a rocket that caused the window to shake, which briefly drowned out the sound of machine gun fire going off on the balconies surrounding them, "I'll make this brief. Once this is over, I'll be more than happy to explain in further detail. Aura, as we know it, is the physical manifestation of an individual's very soul."

"Their soul?" Halsey incredulously asked, clearly disbelieving the deputy headmistress. "Forgive me if I don't believe that. There is no evidence to support that such a thing actually exists beyond religious belief."

"I can assure you, Doctor Halsey, that it very much does. Aura is measurable, quantifiable, and most importantly, _real_," Glynda insisted. "Our people have known of it and how to use it since the dawn of recorded history, and it has proven to be our greatest weapon and defense against the Grimm. Those who have it active enjoy increased strength, speed, regeneration, and durability. In a word, they become superhuman."

Halsey's perpetual frown deepened and she looked ready to retort, but Admiral Cole cut her off with a raised hand. After a quick glare, she conceded and backed off. Nodding towards the civilian doctor then turning back towards the headmasters, Admiral Cole added, "I must admit, I find that claim to be suspect as well. None of our research over the centuries has indicated that the soul actually exists. What proof do you have that says otherwise?"

Nodding towards Admiral Cole, Glynda Goodwitch raised her hand with her fingers pointed upward. A moment later, the appendage was enveloped in a purple veil. Then the table itself was encased in a similar sheen, and to the UNSC's surprise, it defied gravity itself and was lifted into the air high above their heads. All of the UNSC personnel were staring incredulously at the display of power, then Glynda gently lowered the table back onto the floor exactly where it previously resided. Hannibal's avatar was still displayed on top, staring deeply at the tabletop before his entire body briefly flickered.

"Ma'am," he began, his voice soft as he slowly turned his head towards Glynda Goodwitch, "how did you do that? There were no electrical signals being activated, no signs of anti-gravity mechanisms suddenly coming online. Yet you clearly lifted this table. I…don't understand."

"That," Glynda explained, "was Aura. Specifically, my Semblance, Telekinesis. Semblances are the purest proof that Aura and the soul exists, as they are tangible manifestations of it upon the physical world. They are fueled by Aura, and are unique to each and every individual. Although Semblances can be similar to others, no two Semblances are exactly the same."

"They can also be quite varied, yet do have limitations," Professor Rumpole added, gently placing her hand against the wooden table. A moment later, to Cole's, Halsey's, and Hannibal's mutual surprise, the object turned to gold. "My Semblance is Golden Touch, which allows me to turn any object I wish into solid gold. I cannot turn it back, however, so I must be careful as to what I use it on."

Hannibal was now flickering sporadically, clearly trying and failing to comprehend the sudden change of elements. Both Admiral Cole and Doctor Halsey were in similar states, with their jaws hanging loosely.

"Impossible…" Halsey breathed out, rubbing her finger along the golden surface. Admiral Cole then looked back up at Ozpin and swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Can…" Cole paused, then continued, "Can anyone use their…Aura?"

"On Remnant? Yes, even plants and animals on occasion," Professor Lionheart explained. "So long as one has a soul, you are capable of having and utilizing Aura. Grimm do not have souls, therefore they are unable to use it, thank the Gods."

"To that matter, Professor Ozpin attempted to unlock Sergeant Grave's Aura before he woke up," General Ironwood said. "Unfortunately, it did not work for some reason."

"Not for lack of trying, on my part," Ozpin added with a soft frown. "I felt the Sergeant's soul, but nothing gave no matter how much I tried. It was most perplexing."

"I…see," Admiral Cole replied softly.

As another explosion went off, he turned his head towards the battlefield, where he saw the Huntsmen and Huntresses continue their work. Halsey and Hannibal joined him, and Ozpin studied their faces closely. Their expressions were filled with a mixture of emotions. At first, Ozpin saw wonder and awe, much like a child the first time they saw a Huntsman in action. That wonder then turned to hope, their eyes brightening in such a way that seemed like they hadn't done so in a very long time. Then, their expression shifted again, and Ozpin saw that hope and wonder turn to calculation.

Right then and there, Ozpin knew that they were planning something, and he wasn't certain Remnant was going to like it. Before he could speak up, however, he heard a faint voice coming from Admiral Cole's and Doctor Halsey's earpieces. Ozpin immediately focused his senses on whatever they were saying, and although the audio was faint, he could understand it clearly enough.

"_Admiral Cole, this is Sierra-117,_" a deep male voice declared. "_We have eyes on the Alpha Grimm. Moving to engage._"

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of _Dust and Echoes_. Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for their assistance. Admittedly, this chapter was originally going to be longer, but as I got to this point I realized this was a perfect stopping point and thus allowed me to get the chapter to you guys much quicker. So, I think it evens out.

Now, for the Q&A:

**Guest (1):** I intend to, don't worry.

**thetyrant67: **Thank you, that's one of the things I've set out to do in this story. I despise wank fics, as they are just so boring and, frankly, uninspired. I fully intend to address these sort of difficulties, and thematically both stories are meant to have equal weight, for the most part.

**siphonalobject1: **Thank you, I really appreciate that.

**Cyberpunk1-009:** Character interactions are really the heart and soul of this story, as without it there'd be no reason to care about what happens in the story itself.

**Guest (2): **The requirements for wearing ARTEMIS armor will be revealed in due time. It isn't MJOLNIR, though, as they don't have the proper augmentations for it to function safely if their Aura breaks.

**Sazq:** Thank you, glad to hear it.

**chidoriprime: **Just a clarification, Dust isn't on other planets, it's just that both sides came together and figured out how to get it working off Remnant. There also aren't any Remnant colonies, merely a shitload of Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Remnant soldiers fighting the Covenant. But yes, by the time of the prologue, the UNSC and Remnant have been working together for about 10 years. The current arc is explaining how they met, with the next arc building up to the Battle of Remnant. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so much.

**AlternatexReality212:** Thank you, that means a lot to me.

**kpmh2001: **Exactly. This was in full force in this chapter. I focused mostly on Johnson's POV for the battle itself, which while limiting the scope of what was going on in view, rest assured that other stuff was happening at the same time. Not everything can be detailed in the actual story, as otherwise it gets overwhelming very fast. Both to you guys and to me. There is such a thing as too much detail, and it can be just as dangerous as too little.

**Junior Chief:** As do I, unfortunately not every story gets it right in my opinion. I've been trying my best to avoid those pitfalls.

**Guest (2): **The problem would be getting her in a cryo tube to begin with, and whether or not it'll hold her in the first place. More importantly, that would be falling into the common mistake of thinking physical means would be enough to stop her when _RWBY_ proper has shown that isn't the case.

**The Avenging Titan:** Thank you, I'm really happy to hear that. In my stories, I always try my best not to beat down or make one side of the crossover seem less important than the other, thematically at least, and proper balancing goes a long way in ensuring that. We really want to make sure that this story comes out as good as it can be, and I'm happy that so many of you guys are appreciating our efforts thus far.

**Guest (3): **Thank you, and don't worry I won't be going into villains are stupid-halo curbstomp territory, as that would be boring and unimaginative.

**Knighthunter911700:** Thank you. We're putting a lot of effort in making sure this meeting works properly.

**Guardian788: **Thank you, I appreciate that.

**DefenseSquadofDefenseSquad:** Don't worry, I won't be making the RWBY side extremely weak compared to Halo or vice versa. I intend to utilize both properly, and power scale balancing is a key part of that.

**FanfictionLover76: **I enjoy slow placed stories, really. Arguably all of my stories are, even if _Hunters of Justice_ literally started off with a world-shattering bang. It's what I prefer to do as I feel it brings more emotional weight to it all. To that point, the conflict of a heavily militarized society by necessity clashing with a society that hates that stuff will be a really interesting angle to explore, and I intend to milk that for all it's worth.

**DarkySunRise: **Thank you, I really appreciate that. Rest assured, the next chapter(s) are coming. You guys will just have to wait for it.

**Steelrain66: **I do intend to use Sienna a bit more in my story. What that entails will be revealed in due time.

**Vein Bloodborne: **I cannot answer that at the moment.

**nliochristou: **That will be revealed in due time.

That's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy and let us know what you think. See you all next time!


	11. Murder the Time

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 10: Murder the Time**

[~][~]

As John-117 and the rest of SPARTAN Blue Team engaged the creatures of Grimm, as the native inhabitants called them, he couldn't help but compare his current performance with his last engagement. It was a startling contrast, one that he readily appreciated. Before, he and the rest of his men were caught off-guard and under-equipped, which had deadly consequences for everyone involved. Now they knew exactly what they were getting into, which was leading to much better results.

"Blue-4, contacts on far left side, thirty meters," Fred announced as he shot a pair of rounds from his DMR into the head of a Beowolf, making it explode in a fountain of black gore and bone before moving onto the next target.

"Engaging," Linda replied, firing four rounds from her sniper rifle, causing four Grimm to collapse with their heads missing. She was already reloaded by the time they disintegrated, and the forest air was filled with loud cracks of her sniper rifle firing into the horde around them.

"Blue-3, how's our right flank?" John asked as he fired his assault rifle while backing away from a charging Ursa. It took a quarter of the sixty-round magazine to put it down, but John kept his finger on the trigger as he shifted targets to a smaller creature his HUD was labeling as a Creep. It was an odd name, in his opinion, although they were admittedly weird to look at. Unlike all the other Grimm he had faced thus far, it didn't look anything like an actual animal. He wondered if those Creeps were an anomaly or if he was simply making assumptions off of incomplete information; most likely the latter.

"Clearing," Kelly confirmed as she sprinted as fast as she could through a line of Grimm, firing single shots from her shotgun into their heads. She was moving too fast for the Grimm to retaliate, and by the time the survivors were able to turn towards her retreating form, John and Fred had already fired into them, cutting them down.

"Advance," John calmly ordered, swapping magazines as he led his SPARTANs closer and closer to their objective.

As the chaos unfolded around him, John kept himself calm and focused, shifting from target to target with machine-like efficiency. The rest of Blue Team was doing the same, with Linda staying in the back to cover them with her sniper rifle, he and Fred in the front to draw most of the Grimm's attention, while Kelly utilized hit-and-run tactics to devastating effect. But this was only the front line of the Alpha Grimm's guard, for lack of a better term. As they drew closer and closer, the Grimm were becoming more coordinated and deadly, forcing the SPARTANs to take things nice and easy. The last thing they wanted was to rush ahead and put themselves in a position to be overrun.

"I got eyes on target," Linda announced as she peered through her sniper rifle. John followed her gaze where he found what she was looking at. Unfortunately, the Alpha was low to the ground so he was unable to accurately determine what type of Grimm it was, which made him frown slightly.

"Well, he's a big guy," Fred remarked as he dived away from a lunging Beowolf, landing with a roll and spinning on his feet to fire a pair of shots into its head, killing it.

Fred's assessment was correct. Even from this distance, John-117 could tell that this particular Grimm was bigger than a Warthog. Its frame was also low to the ground, telling him that the creature was likely quadrupedal. Whether on a permanent basis or able to go bipedal like the Ursas and Beowolves like they'd been fighting for the most part was unknown as well.

He was able to see where it was going, however, even as he shot the feet out from a Creep and subsequently stomped on its head. To his slight alarm, the Alpha Grimm and its cohorts were no longer heading towards the battle. Instead, they appeared to be retreating. Once again he compared his last engagement against the Grimm to the one he was in now. Before, the Grimm had mindlessly attacked with no regards to how injured they got or how many of them went down. But now the Grimm were doing the smart thing and trying to retreat, heading east towards the interior of the island.

That was almost worse in John's eyes. Assuming that what the natives had told the UNSC was true, and he had no reason to believe that it wasn't, Grimm that survive encounters against humans learned from the experience, becoming smarter and stronger. In a way, it reminded him of how Covenant ranks worked. Minors were fresh recruits, equipped with basic gear and eager to get their first kill while at the same time prone to making unnecessary mistakes that humanity happily exploited. The higher ranked warriors, like majors and ultras, however, were older and had survived numerous engagements against humanity. They were appropriately outfitted with more advanced gear, and when combined with their greater experience made them much more dangerous threats.

If the Grimm were anything like the Covenant, they could not let these Grimm get away, but unfortunately he could not call in air support at the moment as they were preoccupied with Amity Colosseum. Still, he didn't let that concern him, and he opened a private channel straight to Admiral Cole himself.

"Admiral Cole, this is Sierra-117," he said while firing a grenade from his assault rifle's underslung launcher into a small tight group of Creeps, killing them all at once in a ball of fire and shrapnel. "We have eyes on the Alpha Grimm. Moving to engage."

"_Acknowledged, 117,_" Hannibal replied. "_Be advised, we have ODSTs moving to cut off the Grimm 200 meters north of your location. If you can herd them there, we can box them in._"

John quickly glanced in that direction, where a waypoint was automatically set by his armor. He then looked back at the Grimm horde and decided that they could make it work. With quick, precise movements of his arms, John directed his SPARTANs to flank south, with Kelly going ahead of them and Linda staying in the back. Like cowboys herding cattle, Blue Team began to force the Grimm to shift their retreat northward by throwing grenades ahead of them. Any that tried to go the way they didn't want was quickly cut down, and soon the Grimm got the message and shifted north.

The SPARTAN-IIs gave chase, keeping a respectable distance as they neared the waypoint. Sounds of gunfire coming from ahead told them that the ODSTs had made contact, which was further proven as the Grimm suddenly stopped their retreat.

"Looks like they figured it out," Kelly pointed out, sliding shells into her shotgun then pumping it. As though answering her, the Grimm nearest to the SPARTANs turned towards them and roared, then charged on all fours, kicking up the dirt, rock, and grass beneath them.

Blue Team responded immediately by firing their weapons into the black mass. Several were cut down by the combined fire, but when the Grimm got too close for comfort the SPARTANs broke off. They left grenades in their place, acting as impromptu mines that went off as the Grimm reached their location. Others were left stumbling, allowing the SPARTANs to easily pick them off.

It was then that they heard a deep, guttural growl come from deep inside the remaining Grimm horde, followed by crashing noises as the Alpha Grimm carved through the ground. Grimm parted way as the hazard traveled towards the ODSTs, and John couldn't even issue a warning before they heard panicked screams. A frisson of anger and regret shot through John's heart, but he forced himself to remain focused on the task at hand. There weren't many Grimm left, and while they were all homing in on the SPARTANs with the sole purpose of cutting them down, John had no intention of letting that happen.

"Blue-2, on my mark," John said as he swapped out his assault rifle for the Spartan Laser.

Fred did the same, swapping out his DMR for his rocket launcher. As the Grimm neared, John pulled the trigger, causing the laser cannon to emit a bright red beam that was centered squarely on the head of the largest Ursa he could see. With each passing second, the beam grew larger and more vibrant in intensity, and just before the laser reached full charge, John calmly stated, "Fire."

Fred fired both tubes of his rocket launcher into the horde just as the fully charged Spartan Laser shot went off. Two explosions rippled through the Grimm, throwing limbs into the air and mangling bodies while the unfortunate Grimm who were struck directly simply ceased to exist. At the same time, the high-intensity laser went right through the Ursa like a hot knife through butter, then continued on through the next Grimm and several beyond that. In a single moment, a Grimm horde numbering around thirty was cut down to fifteen, and as John began charging another shot and Fred loaded fresh tubes, Kelly and Linda opened fire as well with their shotgun and sniper rifle, respectively.

Linda aimed at the exposed black mass underneath the white bone armor with expert precision, making the Grimm's natural defenses worthless. Kelly had to get closer in order for her weapon to work, but she was moving too fast for the Grimm to keep up. As one Beowolf got too close, Kelly kicked its head upwards, allowing her to shoot it in the lower jaw, killing it instantly. Then, with a quick pump to load a fresh shell, she swung around and fired her shotgun one-handed into the body of a Creep. Using her free hand, she pulled out her M6D and fired it into the head of another Beowolf, and once her immediate surroundings were clear she holstered her pistol and went back to using her shotgun as she was supposed to.

John fired his Spartan Laser again, burning through three Ursas at once. At the same time, Fred fired single precise shots into the remaining Ursas and Beowolves. It took a few shots to crack the bone armor around the Grimm's heads, but they were able to be put down all the same. As the last Grimm fell and turned into dust, the SPARTANs took the moment to breathe and reload their weapons. They didn't stop for long, though, as they heard the ODSTs' gunfire as they engaged with the Alpha Grimm. John's HUD quickly marked their location with a waypoint, which was conveniently at the end of a large gash carved into the ground from the Alpha Grimm's traversal.

"Let's go," John ordered, sprinting down the gash.

Blue Team was right behind him, with Kelly quickly overtaking her leader as John expected. Kelly was the fastest of the SPARTAN-IIs, after all. A few Grimm stragglers were taken out along the way, the super soldiers not stopping while doing so, and the gunfire increased in volume. As they cut through the underbrush, they caught sight of the black armored ODSTs. Some were laying dead on the ground, others tending to their wounds with biofoam while the soldiers still standing were focusing their fire on the absolutely massive Grimm tearing through the forest like a buzzsaw.

John quickly noted the highest ranking soldier among them and sprinted over to her as the other SPARTANs went to lend their assistance in putting the Grimm down. The ODST leader regarded the Master Chief for a moment, then turned her attention back towards the Alpha Grimm while reloading her assault rifle.

"About time you showed up," she said, firing her weapon in short, controlled bursts. "Bastard's tough. We did shit to it while it killed two of my men and wounded three others."

"Pull your men back, we'll cover you," John immediately ordered, zeroing his Spartan Laser onto the Grimm's spinning body.

"Don't have to tell me twice," the ODST sergeant replied, then barked to her men, "Boys, you heard the Chief! We are leaving!"

The ODSTs currently engaging the Grimm immediately complied, pulling back to return to their dead and wounded comrades. They slung them over their shoulders, and with the SPARTANs keeping the Alpha Grimm preoccupied they ran off and out of harm's way.

"_Everest_, requesting immediate med-evac north of my location," John spoke into his comms as he noted which way the ODSTs were heading.

At the same time, he pulled the trigger of his Spartan Laser, beginning to charge it as the Grimm turned towards the retreating soldiers. It clearly wanted to put them down, but John didn't give it the chance as he fired his laser cannon into its side. The intense beam knocked it off balance and sent it crashing into a thick tree near John, whose base shattered into splinters upon impact. No longer able to support its weight, the tree came crashing down straight towards him, forcing the Master Chief to dash to the side to avoid being crushed. He kept his attention on the Grimm, however, which to his alarm had survived the impact, albeit with a massive cauterized crater on its right flank.

Only now could he actually get a good look at the creature. True to his earlier assessment, the Grimm was a massive quadruped, at least half-again the size of a Warthog. A comparison that was even more apt as the Grimm itself greatly resembled the actual animal. According to his MJOLNIR's HUD, this particular species of Grimm was called an Alpha Boarbatusk, otherwise known as a Razorback, and he perfectly understood how it would have earned that name. The monstrous boar had large, curved tusks that extended several feet beyond its head, and nearly its entire body was covered in thick armor plating, and its spine was lined with rows of jagged spikes. Only its underside remained unarmored. The armor itself was cracked and dented in places, but those looked to be more scars from battles long ago rather than wounds from its most recent engagement. They provided further proof to the native humans' claims, telling John more than ever that they needed to put it down here and now.

Without even needing to say a word, Blue Team fired their weapons into the Grimm, but unfortunately the bullets bounced harmlessly off the armor. Letting out another guttural growl, the Razorback charged them, aiming to gore them on its tusks but the SPARTANs parted and allowed the Grimm to pass harmlessly through. They kept their aim onto the Grimm, firing into its body but only getting the same result.

"That thing's bulletproof?" Fred wondered aloud, reloading his weapon before firing once again.

"Looks like it," Linda replied as she fired another shot into its head, only for the bullet to ricochet off and fly into the forest in a different direction. More angered by the attempted kill shot than anything else, the Razorback turned back towards them then curled up, allowing the jagged spikes on its spine to face towards them. Once the Grimm started spinning in place like a massive tire, kicking up bits of dirt and rock behind it, the SPARTANs immediately knew what it was doing. As soon as it shot towards them, they dived to the side to avoid being splattered, landing with a roll and springing up to their feet.

"It's coming back around!" Kelly pointed out.

True to her words, the Razorback was reorienting itself to spin back towards them, crashing through trees and small rocks as though they weren't even there. John quickly thought over on how to actually kill the thing, then he remembered the Boarbatusk's unarmored belly.

"The belly's unarmored. I'm going to knock it onto its side," John began to explain. "Once I do, fire everything you have into it."

Blue Team's lights flicked green, then they moved away from the Master Chief as the Grimm spun towards him. John thought about using his last shot of the Spartan Laser to accomplish the task, but decided against it. He needed more concussive force for this. Instead, he swapped to his assault rifle and pulled out a grenade, placing his thumb against the priming button. Oblivious to his intentions, the Razorback continued to rush towards him, and John mentally calculated its velocity. Then he threw the grenade, which landed onto a tuft of grass and bounced around slightly before coming to a rest in the Grimm's path.

Just as the Grimm rolled over the grenade, it exploded, sending up a cloud of dirt and shrapnel into the air. The Alpha Boarbatusk let out pained and surprised roar as it was knocked off-balance, skidding to a stop on its right side and reflexively uncurling, exposing its belly to the world. Blue Team immediately opened fire into it, the bullets tearing into the black flesh and causing the Grimm to writhe in pain. It tried to rise to its feet, but John grouped with the rest of Blue Team and added his weapon to their own. The Alpha Boarbatusk roared one final time, then went still. Blue Team didn't let up their fire until the Grimm finally began to disintegrate, telling them it was dead.

"You know, as freaky as it is, I kind of wish everyone did that," Fred remarked as he swapped magazines once again.

"Would certainly be cleaner," Kelly added, loading new shells into her shotgun. Linda merely shrugged in acknowledgement, having no real opinion on the matter, while John tapped into his comms to contact the _Everest_.

"_Everest, _Alpha Grimm eliminated," John reported, reloading his assault rifle as he spoke.

"_Acknowledged, Sierra-117,_" Hannibal replied. "_We're seeing the effects now. The Grimm around Amity Colosseum are becoming much less coordinated than they were moments ago._"

"That's good to hear," Fred piped in. "You want us to come back and lend assistance?"

"_Negative, Amity Colosseum is under control here. Besides, we have another objective for you,_" Hannibal replied. "_The sabotaged sensor tower is about two kilometers west of your location. We don't have any eyes there at the moment, and we want you to go in and investigate. Try to determine what, or who, caused it to go down._"

"Acknowledged," John replied, then turned off his comms and turned back towards Blue Team who were already prepped. "Let's move, SPARTANs."

"Any idea what caused it?" Kelly asked as they ran off. While a normal soldier, or even an ODST, might have requested transportation, a SPARTAN was more than capable of traversing long distances with little difficulty.

"I don't know, but I'm certain we'll find out," John replied, his voice calm and steady despite running at a full sprint.

"Well, I can think of a few things," Linda pointed out. "Either a new type of Grimm we haven't seen yet, or one of the natives didn't want things to go well."

"That, or they wanted to see how we'd act at full operational capacity," Kelly added, "so they used the Grimm to see what we'd do."

"A probing attack?" John asked, and Kelly nodded.

"Makes sense," Fred admitted as he rushed through a bush like it wasn't even there. "Our first engagement with the Grimm was with isolated soldiers with little support away from prying eyes. This time we brought nearly everything we have to bear in a much more open fashion. If someone wanted to see what the UNSC could do, I can't imagine a better venue."

"The question is, then, who ordered it?" Kelly asked.

"We'll find out soon enough," John declared, and he and the rest of Blue Team continued their sprint towards their latest objective.

* * *

When Blue Team finally arrived at their objective, they immediately began surveying what they could. It was a complete and utter mess, with the tower itself destroyed. What once was a tall and active sensor array was now nothing more than a twisted and shredded piece of metal, with exposed wires and dented panels across its battered surface. The ground itself was similarly torn up from all the rampaging Grimm as they rushed southbound through the hole in their defenses.

"Fan out. Find what you can," John ordered, his assault rifle at the ready as he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of disturbance. The other SPARTANs were doing the same, spreading out to encompass their perimeter which they set to twenty meters around the destroyed center.

"All clear," each of the SPARTANs declared one by one. Only then did they relax and stow their weapons away, then began the tedious process of searching for any scrap of evidence they could find.

John immediately went to the tower, kneeling to pry an access panel off and search for the tower's stored sensor data. He figured that if the tower's onboard cameras had managed to pick something up it would greatly help their efforts. Unfortunately for him, much of the internal electronics were destroyed in whatever sabotage had ensued, so he wasn't able to simply grab a data drive and insert it into his MJOLNIR. The secondary backups were in a similar state, which further impeded matters. Luckily, however, the tertiary black box was still intact. It wouldn't have any video feeds, merely timestamps, atmospheric readings, temperatures and other such basic data, but it was better than nothing.

He connected his armor to the black box, and his HUD quickly began displaying the data. It contained hours' worth of numbers before ending abruptly thirty minutes before the Grimm's attack. John knew he didn't have time to comb through all of it, so instead he limited his search to the thirty minutes prior to the end of data. Thanks to his augmented senses, he was able to read the influx of data quite easily as it sped by. At first, the data was normal, merely showing a mild temperate climate that was quite comfortable for the average person. Towards the end, however, the data began to fluctuate. Temperatures were spiking and falling in quick succession, and the atmospheric pressures were going all over the place.

The weirdest part, however, was the timestamps for all these changes. For some reason he could not quite understand just yet, the rises and falls in temperatures were happening at the exact same time, something that should have been impossible unless the system itself was being tampered with. That meant it hadn't been the Grimm which had destroyed the tower. Instead, a human from Remnant had been the one to do it, but that answer left other questions in its wake. Had he been dealing with the Covenant or even Insurrectionists, he might have accepted that explanation with little difficulty, but the natives of Remnant didn't belong to either group. They had never interacted with UNSC technology before, so they would have no idea where to even begin hacking into it. Sure, they used computers and electronics of their own, but the UNSC and Remnant used entirely different processing languages and codes that didn't easily translate. It was only thanks to the efforts of Hannibal, a Smart AI who could process information thousands of times more quickly than a human ever could, that they were even able to build a working translator on a timely basis.

Then John remembered a key piece of intel that had been revealed during the battle, one he still had trouble comprehending. The natives of Remnant, for some as of yet unknown reason, had abilities that verged on the supernatural. From the marine chatter he and Blue Team picked up, along with the information funneled to them by Doctor Halsey, these superpowers, for lack of a better word, were called Semblances and were fueled by something called Aura. According to the natives' testimony, Aura was the power of their soul. John found that hard to believe, but he couldn't refute the existence of Aura and Semblances.

Could a Semblance be responsible for tampering with the timestamps? As much as it made John uncomfortable, he had to admit to himself that it was increasingly likely the more he examined the data. That spelt problems for him and his SPARTANs. Aura and Semblances were yet another unknown variable to this planet, perhaps the ultimate variable. If he understood the information correctly, each person on Remnant had the ability to utilize their Aura, and each could learn to use a wholly unique Semblance that no one else in the world would have. Doctor Halsey and Admiral Cole had firsthand knowledge of this fact, as one of the professors displayed telekinetic abilities while another turned a wooden table into solid gold. Had it been anyone other than Doctor Halsey who told him that, he would have both dismissed it and recommended a psyche-eval on them, but he had learned to take Halsey at her word.

Undoubtedly she was going to run copious amounts of experiments to try and get to the bottom of his mystery, but at the moment John was more concerned with where the saboteur went as well as what Semblance they might have. Clearly it was something that could affect the timestamps on highly sensitive military equipment, but he still had no clue as to how it did so. He didn't like it. The entire situation felt like when he and Blue Team first engaged the Covenant, not knowing exactly what they were walking into. That first engagement resulted in Samuel-034's death, which was not something he wanted to repeat here.

"Have you found anything?" John asked as he stood back up and turned around. He saw that Kelly was keeping to the perimeter, trying to spot where the saboteur had both come in from as well as what direction they might have gone afterwards. Linda was out of sight, undoubtedly doing the same thing, while Fred remained close to the site in order to closely examine the tracks on the torn up ground.

"Nothing but a bunch of Grimm tracks," Fred answered, looking up to the Master Chief and shaking his head while resting his arm on his knee. "I can hardly see anything underneath all of this. Found some burned panels and small pools of water, though."

"Hmm, the black box indicated intense temperature changes from hot to cold."

"Stress fracture? I'm pretty sure our stuff doesn't have to worry about that."

"Most likely they attempted it at first, then when they found that wasn't working decided to simply break it down with brute force," John suggested. "That suggests that our saboteur was a Huntsman, or at least someone with similar capabilities. Assuming that the marines weren't exaggerating about their abilities."

"Oh, perfect. That's just what we need," Fred sighed and hung his head, then looked back up at the Master Chief. "Whoever did this covered their tracks well. I doubt we'll be able to find much of anything under all this. Do we have any satellite feeds of the area around the time this happened?"

"Nothing that would give us any clarity, no," John answered. Fred shrugged, figuring that was most likely the case yet clearly disappointed regardless.

"I'll keep searching anyway. Hopefully something will turn up," Fred said, then went back to his search.

John nodded, then walked away to search for more evidence. He focused on the bushes around him, hoping to find something indicative of a trail. Unfortunately, any trails that were made were torn apart by the Grimm, which he was increasingly certain was the rogue Huntsman's intention. He frowned once again, yet didn't let his disappointment impede his efforts as he searched the area all the same. The only result he got, however, was the same as Fred. Any evidence that once existed was destroyed by the Grimm.

"I found something," Linda suddenly called out on the southwest side of the search area.

John and the rest of Blue Team immediately zeroed in on her location, where they found the sniper standing near a bush. At first, John didn't see what Linda was looking at, but as he got closer he could make out broken branches on the bush. From the angle of the breaks, whoever came through was small and had been coming towards the tower from Amity Colosseum.

"Any footprints?" John asked, kneeling to get a closer look at the bush.

"Not yet," she revealed.

"It's a start," John replied, then stood back up and turned around towards the tower. "Fred, Kelly, head further down and see if you can't find anything else. Linda, try to find where they went."

The SPARTANs nodded then went off to conduct their assigned tasks, and John went back to the sensor tower. He kept his eyes peeled to the ground, trying to spot any slight indents of a human foot, but the ground was too mangled up to clearly see anything. So he instead tried to rationalize what he would do if he were in this situation. The person they were hunting had most likely come from the campsite, somehow disrupted the tower to mask their presence, then destroyed it, putting a hole in their defenses that the Grimm readily exploited. There were two options in his mind as to what happened next. Either they had gone back to camp, attempting to keep up the charade, or they had decided to get as far away as possible.

Almost immediately, he dismissed the notion of them returning to Amity Colosseum. That would have been too obvious, especially if they came back just as the tower was destroyed. It was far more likely that the person in question had arrived with everyone else, then left to do their dirty work and fled before the Grimm arrived.

"Hannibal, I want camera feeds on every single Huntsman and Huntress who went out beyond the campground on patrol," John requested.

Not even a second had passed when his HUD was filled with the feeds in question. The UNSC had placed various cameras around their installations, that way the ships in orbit could better see what was happening on the ground. It gave them a wide range of view, which John happily exploited. His HUD, assisted behind the scenes by Hannibal, automatically assigned unique identifiers to each Huntsman and Huntress they saw, and one by one they returned back to the camp except for one.

"There you are," John muttered under his breath as he saw a short, oddly dressed woman skip away from the campsite and never return. He shared the video with the rest of Blue Team, who immediately flashed green in acknowledgement as they continued their search.

"_Chief, found more of our mysterious friend's trail,_" Fred called out. "_Looks like she doubled back to the camp then broke off, heading east deeper into the forest._"

"Follow her," John immediately ordered, running back to Fred and Kelly who were waiting for him next to a tree. He then reopened his connection to Admiral Cole and declared, "Admiral, we've found a trail and are in pursuit of a human female roughly five-feet tall in checkered clothing."

"_How very discrete,_" Admiral Cole sarcastically replied, telling John that he had broken away from the meeting to talk to him and Blue Team in private. "_You are cleared to engage, SPARTAN, but I want this person brought in alive for questioning if at all possible. I want to know exactly why she decided to intervene._"

"I understand, sir," John replied, then left the communications channel in favor of returning to TEAMCOMM.

"You know, now I wish we brought the training rounds," Fred pointed out. "They make a capture mission much, much easier."

"We'll make it work," John insisted, then added, "Regardless, if it comes to it, put her down. Our safety is more important than hers."

"No arguments from me," Linda spoke, rejoining the others next to a tall tree with slightly exposed roots.

On the ground next to them was a tuft of kicked off dirt, one that would be indicative of someone skipping on heels. Now with an approximate direction, they sprinted eastward, keeping their eyes sharp for any signs of her trail. When they spotted another break that went northward, they turned and followed, eager to catch up and bring her in.

* * *

Professor Ozpin was looking out through the conference room window over the campsite below. The last of the Grimm had been eradicated, and now both the UNSC and Remnant's security forces were cleaning up the mess. There were many wounded and dead soldiers on both sides being tended to, and to his dismay there were more UNSC dead than Remnant. Given how they lacked the protective nature of Aura, it was to be sadly expected.

That being said, however, there were more concerning things to be worried about, which he was reminded of as he turned back around to look at a holographic image of a woman. A woman he recognized, and proved his fears were well-founded once again.

"Do any of you know who this person is?" Doctor Halsey coldly asked. "We checked our records and found no trace of her on today's arrivals, meaning she came in on her own or was smuggled here. As far as I'm concerned, every single death down there is on her head, and we would very much appreciate any information you might have."

As uncomfortable as it was to hear an angered voice so similar to another's he once knew, to the point where it was uncanny, Ozpin felt Doctor Halsey and the UNSC had every right to be angry. He was angry too, and walked back to the table to provide as many answers as he could.

"That," Ozpin began, "is Haki Felt, a terrorist and murderer we've been attempting to hunt down for years."

"She's also a complete psychopath," Leonardo added through a scowl. "She used to be a promising student at Haven Academy, always a bit eccentric but mostly harmless. Then one day in her fourth year, she just snapped and killed her entire team before going on the run. That was five years ago, now."

"She's been active all over the world ever since," Professor Rumpole added. "She was last seen about six months ago in Vacuo, where I sent a team of Huntsmen to apprehend her. Haki killed all of them."

"So, a murderer goes from killing a bunch of students to intervening against a First Contact?" Doctor Halsey said with a raised, suspicious eyebrow. "Quite the jump, isn't it?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are. Haki has done plenty of horrible things over the years, always evading capture, but this is something I didn't expect she would be capable of," Ozpin replied, only for Halsey to narrow her eyes at him. It wasn't hard for Ozpin to see that she didn't believe him in the slightest, that he was hiding more than what he was willing to share, but instead of raising those concerns she broke her attention away from the Headmaster of Beacon to look around the room.

"I see. Well, I suppose that can be forgiven," Halsey lied. "Still, if you can provide any further data on what she can do, it would be very much appreciated."

"I can send you her academy records," Leonardo immediately offered, "as well as the list of crimes she's committed."

"Thank you, Professor," Doctor Halsey stated in her cool neutral tone that held just a hint of suspicion. Ozpin supposed she was watching everyone with peeled eyes, now.

General Ironwood then piped up, saying, "I can send my best team in to apprehend her. She won't get away, not this time."

"We appreciate the offer, General, but we have it handled," Hannibal said, flickering back into existence. "There's a team already in pursuit."

"More of your ODSTs?" Theodore asked, raising an eyebrow. "They have my respect, don't get me wrong, but as deranged as Haki is, she's still a highly qualified Huntress. If you send those men after her, I'm afraid you'll only be inviting a slaughter."

"My team is more than qualified, I assure you," Halsey insisted, and Ozpin picked up the slight possessive tone in her voice as well as the offended twitch in the ODST guards around them. He thought back to earlier in the meeting, when the ODSTs were bragging about being the best of the best and Halsey had visibly scoffed at the notion. Ozpin narrowed his eyes again, then placed both of his hands on top of his cane and leaned slightly forward.

"May I ask who this team is?" Ozpin inquired, but Halsey merely narrowed her eyes.

"I'm afraid that's classified, Professor," Halsey insisted, and while some of his fellows looked quite unimpressed with the denial, he knew he wasn't going to get any more out of her.

"…I understand. My apologies, I did not mean any disrespect," Ozpin assuaged, and Halsey nodded before moving on.

"Now, Doctor Polendina, Doctor Watts, I have a few questions for you two regarding this…what do you call it, Dust?" Halsey asked, twirling her hand lazily.

"Oh, certainly! I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have," Doctor Polendina happily replied.

"As the Chief Executive Officer of the Schnee Dust Company, I'll be happy to as well," Jacques Schnee added, returning to his normal calm demeanor now that he was back into his comfort zone. Ozpin could also recognize a calculating gleam in his eye, one that only a predatory businessman like him could possess.

As the conversation about Dust went on, Ozpin stole a glance towards the glass window. He saw patrols of Hornets, Pelicans, and Bullheads fly by, as well as twin-rotary helicopters with side-mounted machine guns that the UNSC called Falcons. His focus, however, was on a lone black crow that was resting on the windowsill. He and the crow glanced at each other, then Ozpin subtly nodded. The crow cocked its head in response, then it flew off towards the forest.

* * *

SPARTAN Blue Team sprinted through the forest as fast as they could. The trail they had been following for the past two hours had steady gone uphill as it went up the mountain. Yet the shift to more rugged terrain did nothing to impede the super solders. They tore through the underbrush as though it wasn't even there, their eyes locked to the faintest hints of where their target went. At the same time, John went over what information Doctor Halsey had managed to obtain from the natives.

Their target's name was Haki Felt, a twenty-five year old woman from Mistral who was responsible for dozens of terrorist attacks over the years, along with a long list of assassinations and murders. She was a high-priority target for all parties involved, but at the moment the UNSC did not trust the Remnant delegation to assist in her capture. Both Admiral Cole and Doctor Halsey were certain that someone smuggled her in. It was the only way they figured such an obvious and infamous figure was able to sneak past their defenses and remain hidden from everyone else. It seemed as though Remnant's delegation recognized this as well, and John wondered if that was the point of Haki's interference. To raise everyone's suspicion and sow distrust among one another.

Regardless, John focused on the immediate task at hand. The files didn't tell them what her Semblance was, as she apparently hadn't discovered it during her time at Haven Academy. She only started displaying her Semblance after she went on the run, but there weren't any concrete information to determine what, exactly, her Semblance was. Whatever weapon she used was similarly unknown, as she deliberately destroyed her original weapon during her initial escape, and no one had survived later encounters with her to report what she now used. Both represented yet more variables that he had to consider. If they were to have any chance of successfully retrieving her, they had to play this smart. This would be the first time they would fight anyone with outright supernatural abilities, and while John was confident he and his team would be able to get the job done, he made sure to keep himself grounded. Over-confidence was as dangerous an adversary to a soldier as the Covenant, perhaps even more so, and he would not allow himself or his team to fall victim to it.

Suddenly, Kelly stopped cold in her tracks and held up a closed fist, signaling to them to cease. Blue Team immediately did so, and Kelly slowly pointed down to her feet. There, in a patch of snow, they saw a small footprint. A quick study told John that it belonged to a woman wearing heels, and he knew immediately that the track belonged to Haki. Why she decided that wearing heels to a combat zone was a good idea was beyond him, but if she wanted to degrade her footing, he wasn't going to stop her. Any advantage he could get he would readily accept and exploit.

He then signaled for Linda to go on overwatch. Her light flashed green and she disappeared into the forest, going higher up the mountain as to obtain a better vantage point. Once she was out of view, John crouched and slowly began walking forward, Fred and Kelly right behind him. They spread out to cover as wide a range as possible and prevent them from being taken out all out once, yet they remained in sight of each other at all times. John remained focused on the trail he was following, which was much fresher than what they had been following before. Haki was here no more than half an hour ago, and once the trail started getting more cluttered he went prone and began crawling along his belly to conceal himself as much as possible. Fred and Kelly did the same, and he could no longer see them underneath the snow-covered bushes they were using to conceal themselves.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they came across a small rocky outcropping just above the tree line. There, sitting on a rock overlooking everything was Haki Felt, sipping an unknown substance from a steaming teacup. The cup itself was made of porcelain, white in color with swirling green trim. There was a matching teapot next to her, with the image of a green top hat emblazoned on the side. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was pressed into a satisfied smile. She was seemingly oblivious to Blue Team's presence, allowing them to observe her much more closely. Haki was certainly the oddest person they had ever seen, dressed flamboyantly in a gaudy green, silver, and khaki checker-boarded tunic. An eclectically decorated top hat was sitting atop her neon-red hair, and underneath both eyes were tattoos of falling stars. More importantly, she appeared to be unarmed, but John knew from first-hand experience that appearances could be deceiving. Haki very well could be hiding something underneath that tunic of hers, or she was using an utterly alien weapon he hadn't considered yet. From what he saw and heard, the Huntsmen and Huntresses tended to use weapons neither he nor anyone else would have ever seriously considered.

Gripping his assault rifle tightly, the Master Chief whispered over TEAMCOMM, "Fred, Kelly, flank her. Linda, take the rear."

All of his teammates' lights flashed green, and he shuffled into position right in front of her. John kept his focus on Haki, who continued to drink from her teacup without a care in the world. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not liking this entire situation at all. Then, when he received another set of three green lights, John sent a flash back, then sprang up out of cover with his weapon drawn onto Haki Felt's head. At the same time, Kelly and Fred emerged from the sides, and John could see Linda higher up on the mountain, aiming her sniper rifle down below.

"Don't move," John coldly ordered, his finger hovering over the trigger. Haki opened her eyes lazily, continuing to sip from her cup before setting it down.

"I thought I heard something," Haki remarked in a high-pitched tone, then chuckled slightly to herself. "My, my, for people that big, you are surprisingly quiet. Had I known you were coming, I would have set the table for you all."

John ignored her, and added, "Haki Felt, you are under arrest. Come quietly and you won't be hurt."

"Ah, you know my name! That is interesting, and exciting!" Haki exclaimed, clapping her hands a few times before pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her head on top of them. "Still, how rude of me. You know who I am, but I have no idea who you are. What are your names, strangers?"

John only responded by steadying his aim and taking a threatening step forward alongside Fred and Kelly. Haki got the message immediately and frowned for a split second, then smiled once again and lowered her feet to the ground. She then picked her teacup back up along with a nearby teapot, where she poured herself a new cup then offered it to the SPARTANs.

"Care for a drink? Made it myself," Haki offered, smiling widely at the SPARTANs with no care towards the apparent danger she was in.

"Drop it and keep your hands in the air. I won't ask again," John insisted, and Haki frowned. She made no effort to comply, and so John responded by firing a single warning shot that whizzed right past her head. Haki didn't even flinch, and she slowly turned her head to look at the fresh bullet hole bored into the snow-covered rock behind her.

"Okay, sheesh. Message received," Haki muttered under her breath as she placed the cup and teapot back onto the rock behind her. "You're certainly the rudest guest I've ever had at one of my tea parties…"

"She is either insane or dangerous," Fred warned over TEAMCOMM, keeping his aim steady on her.

"Probably both," Linda added.

John couldn't help but agree. A sane individual wouldn't react like she did to four heavily armed SPARTANs staring them down, but that did not mean she was harmless. If anything, that made her even more of a threat. You could never tell how an insane combatant would react in a situation, which motivated him to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Restrain her," John ordered, and as Kelly moved to comply, Haki glanced in her direction.

"Oh, so I really am under arrest? That's neat," Haki remarked through a chuckle. When Kelly arrived, the insane Huntress decided to turn her back towards Kelly and lay her hands across her lower back. "Here, let me help you!"

Kelly did nothing. Instead, she took a step back and raised her shotgun back towards Haki, who pouted petulantly at the hostility displayed towards her.

"What? Just trying to be helpful," Haki pointed out, but neither John nor the rest of Blue Team bought it. After a moment, she stopped pouting and smiled once again, then straightened herself and closed her eyes. "Man, you guys are clearly the life of the party, and here I was willing to play along. But no, you guys are no fun at all. Just straight to the point.

"But, here's the thing." Haki's tone shifted, growing dark and her smile turning into a frown as she opened her cold, hard eyes. "I know you want to arrest me for that little thing I did to your nice, fancy tower, but unfortunately I can't. You see, I have another tea party I've got to get to soon and I can't afford to be late. So, I'm going to offer you four a deal. You let me go, and I don't kill you. Maybe."

John's expression hardened, and a moment passed that seemed to stretch on into eternity. The only sound that was heard was the whistling of the wind as it passed, picking up bits of snow and ruffling Haki's hair.

"No takers? Alright then, can't say I didn't offer a way out," Haki remarked with a shrug, then threw her arms back and grabbed her teapot.

Without even needing to say a word, all of Blue Team opened fire, but Haki manage to dodge all four lines of fire. She was moving so fast that she nearly became a blur before their eyes, and when she grabbed hold of her teapot she stretched out the arm holding it and aimed towards Kelly. At the same time, the green hat on the teapot turned a vibrant red.

"Here, have some tea!" Haki shouted, then pulled a trigger on the pot's handle.

Instead of tea, a stream of fire shot out of the nozzle like a flamethrower, forcing Kelly to jump back out of harm's reach. Keeping her finger on the trigger and laughing like a madwoman, Haki swiveled the stream towards John then Fred, who were also forced to jump away. A shot then rang out as Linda fired her sniper rifle again, but to their surprise Haki managed to deflect the bullet away with a swipe of her teapot, causing the bullet to impact a nearby rock instead.

"What?" Linda muttered in disbelief as Haki turned to face the sniper with a manic smile on her face.

"There you are, love. Care to join us for a spot of tea?" Haki asked. Linda responded by firing the rest of her magazine at her, but once again Haki managed to dodge both shots. She also managed to avoid John's and Fred's fire coming from her back despite not being able to see anything, then she started jumping up the mountain straight towards Linda.

Swapping to her pistol, Linda fired a few shots while backing away, but Haki managed to deflect all of them as she neared. Once the insane Huntress drew close enough, she pressed a button on top of her pot's handle. The handle suddenly popped off, revealing that it was connected to the rest of the teapot by a long chain, turning it into a flail. As Haki swung the flail downward, Linda barely had enough time to dive out of the way, and when the pot contacted the rock it exploded into a ball of fire.

Linda was thrown back by the force of the explosion, sending her tumbling down the mountain and into a large rock hidden by the snow which stopped her momentum. Her body, incased in nearly half a ton of armor, caused it to crack upon impact. Haki immediately pressed her advantage, jumping towards Linda and extending her foot downward. The SPARTAN-II rolled away, causing Haki to instead hit the rock and spear right through it, shattering the entire thing into loose rubble. As Haki turned to face Linda once again, Linda brought up her magnum and emptied the rest of the magazine into her face. The Huntress merely flinched back as the first few rounds made contact but collapsed against her Aura, and she shielded herself from the rest with her arms.

Taking the opportunity to back away, Linda jumped to her feet and sprinted back towards the rest of Blue Team, who were rushing forwards to join her. She reloaded her magnum then swapped back to her sniper rifle, reloading that as well before swapping again to her battle rifle. As soon as she joined her team, she spun on her heels and aimed her rifle at Haki. All four then opened fire, but Haki merely retracted her teapot back to the handle and sprayed a wall of ice onto the ground in front of her, shielding her from the bullets.

"Ohoho! I was wrong!" Haki remarked from behind cover as the SPARTANs moved to go around. "You guys are a lot of fun to play with!"

"Blue-2, blow it down with the rocket launcher," John immediately ordered. Without saying a word, Fred swapped to his SPNKR and fired one of the tubes. A rocket shot out and impacted against the ice, shattering it completely and creating a loud boom which echoed across the mountain side.

"Oof!" they heard Haki grunt as the explosion sent her tumbling back, and the SPARTANs immediately rushed towards her in an attempt to press their advantage.

"Only got one shot left," Fred revealed as they ran down the mountain after her. "Want me to use it on her?"

"No, we need to take her alive," John replied, his voice calm and neutral despite the danger he knew they were in.

"If you say so," Fred remarked, then stashed away his rocket launcher for his DMR once again.

They were back into the heavy forest, now on a downward incline when Haki made her presence known once again. She jumped straight into the middle of the SPARTAN fireteam, her teapot already in its flail configuration and swinging it back and forth across the ground.

"La-la-la!" she sang as the chaos unfolded, each strike of her flail sending out explosions of ice and fire that the SPARTANs were barely able to dodge in time.

Diving to the side to avoid another fiery explosion, John rolled to his feet and settled on a crouch, then turned to fire his assault rifle right at Haki. Instead of dodging, she merely swung her flail like a helicopter blade, absorbing nearly all of the bullets. A few managed to make it through but they merely hit against her Aura. The only sign he could see that they did anything was a brief grunt of pain. John wondered why that was the case, then remembered another detail that Halsey had notified them of. Aura protected one from damage, but it didn't block the pain.

Reloading his assault rifle, John backed up while continuing to fire at Haki. The rest of Blue Team was doing the same from all sides of her now, but Haki continued to show little care. Instead, she had wrapped the chain of her teapot-flail around her leg and was now twirling the pot itself around her body as she danced erratically. She dodged some while others were deflected by her weapon, and it was then that John realized that Haki was merely playing with them. Haki wasn't taking them seriously at all; if anything, she was having fun. It was both incredibly insulting as well as highly worrisome, especially when her highly developed combat skills were considered.

She wasn't taking them seriously because she didn't see them as a legitimate threat. That put her earlier behavior in a brand new light, and as John reloaded once again, he was reminded of this when Haki resumed a more normal stance and jumped high into the air. At the top of her jump, the hat turned dark brown, and then she twirled and swung her flail into the ground. From the point of impact, a shockwave rippled through the earth, causing rocks to shoot out of the ground like spikes. Kelly was able to dodge them the easiest, bouncing between the stones as though they were merely platforms while firing her assault rifle at Haki. Linda was out of the blast radius, firing at Haki from afar with her battle rifle, but John and Fred weren't as lucky. They were sent flying into the air as blooming stone catapulted them, and as John landed in a heap outside of the shifting earth, Fred was sent flying towards Haki who immediately clotheslined him.

"Gagh!" Fred grunted as he crashed into the settling ground. Haki, with a cruel smile on her face, raised her foot to stomp on his head, but Fred was able to turn himself around while at the same time sweeping her legs out from under her.

Caught off-guard by the sudden roundabout, Haki fell back, allowing Fred to kip up to his feet. With his DMR knocked away by the artificial earthquake and the range being so close, Fred decided to pull out his combat knife. He rushed towards Haki and stabbed at her, but she was able to deflect the titanium blade with her arm. When she tried to fire her teapot at him, however, Linda suddenly fired a burst which knocked it out of her hand.

Pressing his advantage, Fred kneed Haki in the gut, followed by an elbow to the top of her head. He tried to stab her in the shoulder with his knife, but she instead stood straight up to knock her head against his chin. He stumbled back in surprise, his jaw throbbing from the blow, then Haki jumped and delivered a spin kick to his chest, sending him flying back with a noticeable dent in his chest plate. He landed with a roll, immediately pulling out his magnum with his left hand and charging back at Haki, firing his weapon all the way. At the same time, John, Linda, and Kelly were taking precise shots at Haki, trying to keep her off-balance while avoiding accidentally hitting Fred. Unfortunately for them, her Aura was proving more than capable of protecting her.

"We need to break her Aura!" Kelly pointed out, reloading her assault rifle before pausing her fire as Fred and Haki continued their intense melee. John couldn't help but notice that, once again, Haki had an energetic smile on her face.

"I noticed!" Fred shouted back, attempting to slam his pistol like a club against her face, only for the Huntress to grab his arm and flip him over her shoulder. She made it look easy, despite the fact that Fred was so much larger than her.

John, meanwhile, thought over his options. He figured he could end this quickly by using his Spartan Laser, but that had numerous complications. For one, the long charge time would be a massive hinderance in such a fast-paced, close quarters environment. Haki would be more likely to notice the incoming attack and dodge, or even attack _him_, instead of him actually managing to hit her. There was also the issue of the Spartan Laser potentially killing Haki, which wasn't something he wanted to do unless they had no other choice.

Then, when Fred attempted another stab at Haki, she ducked underneath his arm before grabbing it. With surprising strength, she pulled the SPARTAN down then punched Fred repeatedly in the gut. His cyan-colored MJOLNIR dented from the blows and John could hear him gasp in pain, then she raised her leg and kicked down onto his back, knocking him onto the forest floor. She planted her foot on his shoulder and began to pull, and John could hear the strain of the MJOLNIR as it tried to keep Fred's shoulder in place.

John decided that enough was enough, as did Kelly and Linda. Linda fired a shot that hit Haki in the face, causing her to lose her grip on Fred and stumble back. Kelly then ran past her and shot an eight-gauge shell into her chest, making her gasp in pain. For a brief moment, John saw her eyes widen in surprise, but he didn't pay it much mind as he tackled her and pinned her to the ground. Pulling out his knife, John attempted to stab it into her, but she managed to grab his hand with both of hers. John pushed against the knife with both of his hands, adding his considerable weight to the effort and slowly pushed the knife closer and closer to Haki. As the tip of the blade began brushing against her skin, John saw faint trickles of sweat bead down her brow.

Then, suddenly and without warning, the world shifted. He found himself back to where he was before he charged Haki, as was Kelly. Linda remained in the same position as before, but she was clearly confused as to what she just saw. More worryingly, Fred was back in Haki's clutches, who herself was smiling while panting slightly.

"Haven't had to use that in a while," she admitted as she hoisted up the SPARTAN, who immediately attempted to stab her with his knife, only for her to grab his wrist then headbutt him. For the briefest of moments, Fred's grip on his knife slipped, allowing Haki to wrest it free. Smiling wickedly, and before any of the SPARTANs could react, Haki then stabbed the knife into Fred's abdomen, and he roared in pain as she kicked him into a charging Kelly.

"Here you go!" she mocked as Kelly caught the wounded SPARTAN, who was clutching the knife. John, and Linda, meanwhile, were firing their weapons at Haki, who ran for her weapon, flipped over it while grabbing the teapot at the same time, then slipped behind cover to escape the hail of gunfire.

With Haki out of sight, and Linda covering them, John glanced back at Fred. He turned back to Haki's position and called out, "Fall back. Blue-4, you and I will provide suppressive fire. Blue-3, get Blue-2 to safety and medical assistance."

"Suppressing!" Linda shouted as she shifted the battle rifle to fully automatic and fired into the tree where Haki was taking cover.

As her magazine began to empty, John added his own gunfire, allowing a constant stream of bullets to dissuade the fugitive. Kelly then hoisted Fred over her shoulder, and she ran off deeper into the forest. Only when she was out of sight did John and Linda begin to fall back as well, taking a few more potshots to keep Haki's head down. Finally, when John could no longer see the bullet-riddled tree Haki hid behind, he turned fully around and sprinted away.

* * *

The gunfire slowly petered off, and the dull impacts of the bullets hitting the rocks and trees around her died down. After a few moments of silence, Haki Felt poked her head out from behind the tree and looked around her. To her dismay, the four soldiers she had been playing with were gone, and she stepped out from behind her cover to sigh and fold her arms behind her head.

"Oh, that's sad. I didn't even get the chance to share my crumpets with them," she pouted, then snickered to herself. It was then that she felt her pants vibrate, and she took out her burner scroll to find that she was being called by a number she didn't recognize. Of course, she knew exactly who was calling her, and so she answered it with a smile on her face.

"Hello~!" she sang into the scroll, and she heard her fellow minion, Hazel Reinhardt, sigh.

"_Where are you_?" he asked, his voice altered with a modulator, leaving it unrecognizable. "_I'm already at the rendezvous point. You were supposed to be here by now._"

"I know, I know," Haki replied, twirling her hand around. "But, apparently, I had some uninvited guests along for the ride. Know what I mean?"

"_Who?_" he asked.

"Don't know, just hulking tin soldiers who knew my name. At least, I think they were soldiers. They acted more like our own mechanized mannequins than anything, but they _did_ bleed. Hehe, I made sure of that."

"_Atlas?_"

"No, it was one of those stellar vagrants. The, what do they call themselves, the UNSC?" Haki shrugged. "I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that there are actual human aliens out there. It's positively ludicrous, isn't it? And I should know."

"_Focus,_" Hazel insisted, drawing out another sigh. After a momentary pause, Hazel continued, "_You had trouble against their ODSTs? That seems off for you._"

"That's the interesting thing, actually. These particular cogs were not their marines or ODSTs. They were something else entirely. Almost like Huntsmen, but at the same time, not. They didn't have any Aura, which was nice, but they were surprisingly strong and wearing some heavy armor." Haki laughed and shook her head. "They were tougher than they looked. Made me use my Semblance, actually."

"_You had to use Murder the Time? How much did that take out of you?_"

"Eh, nothing a few minutes of rest won't fix. I'll be fine, you big lug."

Hazel groaned and Haki could only smile, then Hazel asked, "_Are they dead?_"

"Unfortunately, no. They retreated after I stabbed one of them with his own knife," Haki revealed, a sad frown on her face.

"_Unfortunate, but it doesn't matter,_" Hazel replied. "_Head back to me. We need to get out here._"

"Eh, I can't do that just yet," Haki replied through a sheepish smile, turning back towards the direction the four soldiers had run off to.

"_And why is that?_" Hazel asked, his voice low.

"Well, for starters, I'm not done playing with them yet," Haki answered, and before Hazel could interject, she added, "More importantly, they're witnesses. I think you and I both agree that we need to take care of that. Am I right?"

Hazel was silent for a few moments, and Haki occupied herself by tapping her foot and checking her wrist for a nonexistent watch. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Hazel denied, "_Absolutely not._"

"Oh, come on!" Haki complained.

"_I don't want to hear it,_" Hazel interjected. "_You already caused enough trouble by sabotaging that tower. I told you specifically not to do that, but you did it anyway. Now, we have an entire army looking for you, and since they called you by name, that means they know exactly who you are. Going off to eliminate witnesses is pointless and unnecessary._"

As Hazel continued his tirade, Haki rolled her eyes and silently flapped her mouth around and used her free hand like a mouth.

"_Besides,_" Hazel continued, "_I'm nowhere near you, and if you need help I won't be able to provide it. Just give up and return to me._"

"What's that? You're—grrk—breaking up!" Haki suddenly remarked, making more and more static sounds with her mouth.

"_Don't you dare-!_" Hazel yelled out, only for Haki to suddenly hang up. She stared at the silent scroll for a moment, then muttered, "Honestly, the reception out here is horrible."

Collapsing the scroll, Haki dropped it onto the ground then stomped on it. With the electronic device shattered, she aimed her teapot, shifted the Dust inside to fire, then shot the flamethrower into the ground. The scroll, and all incriminating evidence pertaining to her function, was incinerated. Pleased with herself, Haki turned around and began skipping down the trail after the soldiers, eager to catch up with them and continue their playtime. And, if she could prove that worrywart Hazel wrong, it would be all the sweeter to her.

It was funny to her how many times he fretted about causing what he called 'unnecessary deaths,' as though he was forgetting whose side he was on. They were in the business of creating a brand new world, and that required a lot of blood to happen. Haki didn't forget, and the way she saw it, those tin soldiers were very interesting. Perhaps the most interesting thing the UNSC had brought with them, and her dark mistress would love to know how they ticked.

* * *

John and the rest of Blue Team retreated as fast as they could from the target, hoping to put enough distance between them to formulate a plan of attack. Their mission, thus far, had proven to be an utter failure. Haki was nowhere close to being in custody, and the only thing they got to show for their efforts was a wounded SPARTAN. The worst part was that Haki was able to run circles around them without even taking them seriously. Had she done so from the very beginning, John knew he and his SPARTANs would not have survived. Part of him felt humiliated, but the rest was already planning on how best to use her carelessness to their advantage.

They may have left Haki behind for now, but John knew she was going to follow them to finish the job. She was like a cat playing with her food, not quite realizing just yet that her prey was more than capable of fighting back. His job right now was just to find out how best to do that.

"Hold here," John ordered as they neared a clearing. As the SPARTANs complied, and Kelly set Fred down to administer first aid, John took the moment to scan his immediate surroundings.

They were on a cliff overlooking the sea, and he could hear waves crashing against the rocks far below. The ground beneath their feet was covered in a fine layer of undisturbed snow, with snowcapped evergreens surrounding them. What caught his attention the most was an ancient stone structure near the cliffside. It was a partial ring of standing stones, reminding him somewhat of Stonehenge back on Earth. In the center was a stone obelisk, which had a series of etchings rising up it from the base to the top. At the bottom were animals, which John assumed represented the Grimm. Just above the Grimm were carvings of humans, only these humans had demonic horns coming out of their heads and claws for hands. Faunus, most likely, and the fact that they were directly above the Grimm yet below human warriors wielding spears was telling. Whatever ancient culture built this place clearly did not regard them highly. Above the human warriors was what appeared to be a crowd of regular people, and it was then that John realized that the soldiers were meant to act as a wall shielding these people from the monsters outside. Above the citizens was a man wearing a crown, whom John figured was either a king or merely a symbol of this culture's royalty. Finally, above the king and at the very top of the obelisk sat a pair of what appeared to be divine beings. Both were male, one depicted only by his outline while the other had his entire silhouette carved out. Etched lines evocative of sunlight were coming off of both, meant to illuminate the rest of the artwork.

John then turned his attention away from the monument in favor of his squad. He would let UNSC xenoarchaeologists study this structure and what it meant later. Right now, he had to ensure his team would make it out of this alive.

"Hold still," Kelly soothingly whispered as she pulled out a canister of biofoam and placed it next to Fred's body.

"Don't have to worry about that," Fred grunted, taking a sharp, pained breath as Kelly grabbed the knife's hilt.

They looked at each other, and after a moment both nodded at the same time. In a single smooth motion, Kelly pulled the knife out of Fred. He gasped in pain as red blood began to spew out of the opened wound, but almost immediately Kelly placed the nozzle of the biofoam cannister up against it. She then began spraying the antimicrobial coagulant into the wound, and Fred hissed as the foam was administered. John knew that feeling quite well. As useful and life-saving as biofoam was, it always felt like burning ants biting into you or thousands of tiny knives stabbing all around it. The pain only lasted a moment, however, and soon Fred released a sigh of relief as the biofoam's painkillers kicked in.

"You know, why can't they get the painkillers to act first?" Fred asked as Kelly helped him to his feet.

"If you can figure that out, I'm sure you'll make a lot of people very happy," Kelly replied, then patted him on the shoulder and asked, "You good?"

"Good as I'll ever be. Probably gonna need a trip to medical bay, though," Fred pointed out, which John felt was a deliberate understatement.

From the location of his stab wound, it was likely that the knife damaged one of his internal organs. Possibly his liver or one of his kidneys. Luckily, SPARTANs were tough, and the injected biofoam would be enough to last him a few hours before they could get him onto a medical station. Fred would most likely have to have another of his internal organs flash cloned and surgically replaced, but that wasn't anything new for them. A minor setback, at most.

With the coast clear for the moment, John walked back to his team, and when Linda joined them, he stated, "That did not go as planned."

"You think?" Kelly rhetorically asked, tilting her head.

"Is that what Aura does to people?" Linda asked, bringing her battle rifle closer to her chest. "Makes them strong enough to manhandle SPARTANs and dodge bullets?"

"If so, then I want some of that action," Fred joked, then shook his head and adopted a more serious demeanor. "Chief, what do you think?"

John paused for a moment, then said, "I think that we underestimated Haki's capabilities, and nearly paid the price for it. But she underestimated us too, and that gives us an advantage we can exploit when she comes back."

"You think she will?" Kelly asked, and John nodded.

"Someone like her? Most definitely. She'll want to eliminate any witnesses to her crimes, if only to satiate her bloodlust," he pointed out.

"Which means she'll follow us here, where we can set a trap," Linda finished the thought. When John nodded, Linda nodded back then added, "There's one problem, though. That…thing she did to you guys, what was it? Her Semblance?"

"Most likely," John replied, shaking his head. "I've never felt anything like it. One moment, I was pinning her to the ground, knife pressing against her neck; the next it was like I had never moved in the first place."

"The same thing happened to me," Kelly added, handing her assault rifle to Fred. He didn't need to add anything to the discussion, as the solidified biofoam poking out of his MJOLNIR was more than enough.

"Whatever she did to you didn't affect me," Linda revealed. "But I saw what she did. Your bodies just moved…backwards."

"Share the feed," John ordered, wanting to see this for himself.

Linda complied immediately, and the top right corner of their HUDs was filled with a video feed showing Linda's perspective of the fight. At first, everything was as it should have been. Linda was firing her battle rifle at Haki, who merely dodged or deflected the rounds as she continued to fight Fred. When she flipped him over her shoulder and onto his back, then began trying to pull his arm right out of his socket, he saw himself and Kelly charge the Huntress and knock her away. It was when John got on top of Haki and tried to stab down into her that the footage shifted. His eyes widened as he saw himself, Kelly, and Fred repeat their movements, just in reverse. Upon taking a closer look, he saw that the world immediately around them did the same thing, and he could have sworn that he saw an ejected shotgun shell fly back into Kelly's shotgun. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kelly check her weapon, and she glanced up in surprise.

"Hold up, what's with your mission clock?" Fred asked. John looked at the number in question, and immediately brought up his own mission timer to compare. To his surprise, he saw that his mission timer was suddenly fifteen seconds behind Linda's, which he noticed was the exact amount of time between him charging Haki and pinning her to the ground.

"Did she…did she reverse time around us?" Kelly asked, her voice incredulous. "That's impossible."

"Well, apparently a woman turned a wooden table to gold, and we just got our asses handed to us by a girl using a teapot," Fred pointed out, giving Kelly a flat stare from behind his helmet. "That's all on top of the monsters that disintegrate upon death, and the mere fact that other humans live here and have been doing so for thousands of years. Case in point, the megalith behind us. Honestly, at this point I'm willing to accept that this planet is utterly insane and just roll with it."

John couldn't help but agree with Fred-104's assessment, then rewound the footage and studied the reversal again. After a second look, he remarked, "It appears that she's also affected, and her Semblance only has a localized area of effect. Roughly two meters in diameter. Anything outside of that wasn't changed."

"It must have been how she destroyed the tower without us noticing," Linda surmised, "and why the changes in temperature happened at the exact same time. She used her Semblance to mask her approach."

John nodded, coming to the exact same conclusion. He then glanced back up at the mountain, where he knew Haki would be coming down at any moment. They needed to form a plan of attack now, and after reviewing the footage some more, he began to notice a pattern. Haki, when she was allowed to dictate the terms of the fight, completely eclipsed the SPARTAN-IIs. But, when the tables were turned and the SPARTANs determined the flow, the fight was much more even. An idea began to formulate in his head, and when he solidified it he notified the rest of his team. After a quick explanation, they readily agreed then set off to lay the preparations while he called for reinforcements.

A few minutes later, after the hasty preparations were laid and the rest of Blue Team had hidden themselves away, John saw Haki Felt skip into the clearing straight towards him. Her ever-present smile was still on her face, and she stopped a few meters in front of him then turned her head around to try and spot the rest of Blue Team.

"Just you, big guy?" Haki asked, scratching her hat while tilting it. "Where's everyone else? Don't tell me I scared them away. That's just not fun."

John didn't reply, merely standing upright and keeping his assault rifle pressed against his chest. Haki frowned then shook her head, adding, "I guess I should have expected that response. How very cold of you."

"This is your last chance, Haki," John suddenly declared, causing the Huntress to raise her eyebrow in confusion.

"Last chance to do what?"

"To give up and come quietly," John revealed, and Haki immediately doubled over and began laughing hysterically.

"Hahaha! Are you serious?" she asked, wiping a tear from her eye and standing up straighter. "I send you four running away with your tails between your legs, and you're telling _me_ to surrender? You're audacious, I'll give you that."

John stayed silent as Haki continued to laugh, then he cut her off by plainly stating, "Haki Felt. Age, twenty-five. Born in the lower districts of Mistral in the year 44 A.G.W. Managed to earn a placement in Sanctum Academy before graduating and being accepted into Haven Academy."

Haki's laughter stopped and she frowned, saying, "I see you've done your homework."

John continued, "While at Haven Academy, your teachers noted your eccentricities, which at first were harmless before growing steadily worse and worse, culminating in a diagnosis of schizophrenia at the beginning of your second year. It was determined that the cause behind your mental degradation stemmed from prolonged exposure to unrefined Dust over the course of years. Doctors subsequently prescribed you medicine to alleviate your symptoms, which you took for the next year."

"You mean those mind-numbing drugs they used to put me down? Pfft." Haki rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, but John wasn't finished.

"Noticing a decline in your combat abilities, you stopped taking them in your third year. While your skills in the arena improved, your mental faculties degraded even more. Teachers described you as growing paranoid, talking to yourself in the middle of hallways, and insisting on people being enemies when they weren't. Which extended to your team."

"I only killed them before they could kill me," Haki insisted through a frown.

"They were trying to get you help, which you desperately needed," John countered. "You murdered three innocent people, your friends and teammates, because you were sick. You're still sick."

"Is there a point to all of this?" Haki asked, and John was more than happy to answer her.

"The point, Haki, is that we know _exactly_ who you are," John pointed out. "You may have been able to hide and escape from the kingdoms so far, but you won't be able to anymore. As we speak, UNSC personnel are coming here to apprehend you. They'll be here in less than ten minutes, and you won't be able to slip past them. If you try to fight your way out, you _will _die. If you surrender, you'll be imprisoned and tried, but you'll live."

Haki was silent for a moment, her eyes boring into his golden faceplate. After a moment, she muttered, "You're not bluffing, are you?"

"No," John immediately answered, and Haki let out a chuckle.

"Hehehe," she mirthlessly laughed, her voice growing dark and cold as the grip on her teapot tightened. She then said, "Ten minutes, huh? Well then, guess I'm going to have to cut this finale to the quick."

Deep down, the Master Chief knew Haki would go down this path. He wasn't surprised in the slightest when she raised her teapot, aiming to smother him in fire, but before she even got the chance, Fred popped up from the trees behind her and fired his last rocket at her feet. She turned around just as the rocket hit the earth in front of her, creating an explosion that sent her flying into the air. As she tried to reorient herself, John brought up his assault rifle and fired a single grenade from the underslung launcher into her chest, which sent her flying back and crashing into the snow ahead of him. Four precise shots rang out as her body bounced along the ground, Linda making sure each one hit their mark.

"Gagh!" Haki grunted in pain, pushing herself up to her feet and snarling at the SPARTAN, who was calmly loading another grenade into the launcher. When Haki took a step forward to charge John, Kelly ran out from behind one of the standing stones and slammed the butt of her shotgun across Haki's head. Kelly slid across the snow, turning around to fire a shot into Haki's chest before running off again, causing Haki to stumble back once more while clutching her chest in pain.

"Uggh-hahaha!" Haki began to laugh hysterically as she raised her teapot threateningly. "My, you all are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Blue Team responded by firing into her once again, forcing the Huntress to break away. The SPARTANs followed her, orienting themselves so that they were corralling Haki right where they wanted her. She was oblivious to their true intentions, focusing more on dodging or deflecting the bullets, but when she passed over a slight lump in the snow, Linda adjusted her aim and fired into it.

Haki didn't even have time to glance downward before the bullet slammed into the pile of M9 frag grenades hidden under the snow, acting as a makeshift landmine. The force of the attack sent her flying, and once again the SPARTANs followed her body in an effort to put her out of commission. Suddenly, they saw Haki's flying body reverse, landing back against the snow and running backwards a few paces ahead of the reassembled pile of grenades.

"Sneaky, sneaky," Haki panted loudly as she shifted directions away from the landmine. At the same time, she aimed her teapot behind her onto the ground and formed another wall of ice which she used to shield herself from the SPARTANs.

"I don't have a shot," Linda revealed, standing up from her prone position on top of one of the standing stones. "Moving to secondary location."

"Blue-2, form up on me," John ordered, swapping his MA5B for his Spartan Laser. "Blue-3, move in as soon as I break down the wall."

Both SPARTANs flashed their lights green, and as Fred sprinted over to John, ignoring his wound as only a SPARTAN could, the Master Chief aimed his laser directly into the center of the ice wall.

"You know, usually there's a lot more banter in these kinds of things," Haki called out from behind her cover. "Either that or panicked screaming and tearful crying, but you guys are just silent. You've hardly said a word since this party started. Unless…hold on, are you talking behind my back?! That's terrible manners, you know!"

"Part of me wants her to take this seriously, if only because she's so annoying otherwise," Kelly remarked as she loaded a fresh shell into her shotgun. John agreed with her, then pulled the trigger of his Spartan Laser and began charging it.

"Wait, now I hear a noise…and now I see a light," Haki declared as the growing beam of the targeting laser started diffracting through the thick ice. They then saw her poke her head out from behind her 'protection', asking at the same time, "What are you-? OH!"

She dived away just as the weapon fired, the high-intensity laser boring a steaming, melted hole straight into the outer edge of the ice wall, through the face, and out the other side. The mass of ice sublimated and burst into a million pieces, with Haki herself getting thrown through one of the sides from the force of the laser's impact. Her face was warped in pain, her teeth grinding against each other as she landed in a heap across the ground. John figured he must have nicked her, which was what he was intending. A direct shot likely would have killed her, and he still meant to capture her alive.

"You guys have _laser guns_?!" Haki asked as she pushed herself up, glaring at John as he stowed the spent weapon away. "Why do you still use bullets, then?"

None of the SPARTANs answered her, instead coming forward while firing their weapons into her body. Still wielding her teapot, she fell back to let the first volley pass harmlessly over her, then she swung her weapon into another of Linda's sniper rifle shots to redirect it towards John. He was able to shift his body just enough so that it nicked his right shoulder pauldron, scratching a bit of the green paint off of it. She then kipped up and swung her leg out towards Kelly-087 as the SPARTAN rushed past, tripping her up. Kelly was able to land with a roll, however, and as Haki swung her teapot flail down towards her head, Kelly surprised the Huntress by grabbing the base of the pot and the chain at the same time, pulling Haki closer to her.

"Getting kind of touchy, aren't we?" Haki asked through a toothy grin, only for Kelly to suddenly knee her in the gut while pulling the chain as hard as she could. She wrenched the teapot away from Haki, then grabbed the chain in a fistful and threw it as far as she could to the other side of the clearing.

"Dormouse!" Haki screeched as her weapon disappeared. She snarled towards Kelly, only for the SPARTAN-II to punch her across the jaw. Haki spun around in a daze, allowing Kelly to wrap her leg around hers then push down with her hand, causing the Huntress to fall face first onto the snow.

Keeping her legs pinned under her own, Kelly grabbed both of Haki's arms and forced them behind her back. At the same time, Fred ran up with a pair of reinforced braces, which he intended to attach to Haki's ankles and wrists. Unfortunately, as Fred ran up Haki used her Semblance, and John watched as both Fred and Kelly were sent moving backwards to a previous state. Luckily for them her weapon, which John assumed to be named 'Dormouse,' was not brought back as it was too far out of range.

"Grragh!" Haki roared as she faced Kelly once again, punching the SPARTAN-II a few times in the chest before drop kicking her away. She landed on her back, then kipped back up to her feet as Fred ran towards her, firing his assault rifle in short, controlled bursts which she was forced to block with her arms.

She then shifted tactics and ran towards Fred, gripping his assault rifle and ripping it in half. As he stepped back and pulled out his knife again, Haki scowled and growled, "I stabbed you in the kidney."

Fred remained silent at first, then decided to answer her with a shrug and mockingly admitted, "Eh, I've had worse."

After hearing the SPARTANs stay silent for so long, Fred's ridicule made her twitch in sheer rage. She screamed angrily and charged him, forcing Fred to step back to avoid her powerful blows. John couldn't help but compare and contrast how she acting at the start of the fight and now. Before, she was playful, not taking this seriously. Now she was enraged, finally recognizing the danger she was in.

'_Good,_' John thought, and then he began hearing the faint whine of engines as the promised UNSC forces neared. Both Haki and the rest of Blue Team heard them, too, and for the first time John saw a look of true panic cross Haki's face. She then kicked Fred away, hitting the exposed portion of biofoam which made him gasp in pain, but when she turned around she didn't try to flee. Instead, she clutched the sides of her head tightly, gripping her hair and threatening to pull it out.

"No, no, no, no," she muttered under her breath, her mania giving way for schizophrenic paranoia. "They're coming for me, they're going to get me. Shut up, no they're not! I'll get away, just like I always do! Not this time! Oh, you should have listened! You should have ran while you had the chance! Now she'll take off your head! Hat and all!"

"'She?'" Fred asked over TEAMCOMM. John didn't know whether to take Haki at her word or merely assume the feminine pronoun to be the result of her sick mind playing tricks on her, but right now it didn't matter. He had a job to do, and so he ran forward to aid his fellow SPARTANs.

"No, NO!" Haki suddenly yelled out as John and Kelly neared, ripping out handfuls of red hair. Her eyes were twitching wildly, and she declared at the top of her voice, "You won't take me away! Not again!"

Without warning, the world around her began to shift as her Semblance went into overdrive. John felt himself going back and forth to different points in time and space, and it was taking everything he had to keep himself from keeling over. At the same time, Haki was bouncing between his team, throwing mighty punches and kicks which sent them flying back. For the first time, he felt a few of those blows as well, and he heard the metal of his MJOLNIR bend and moan as the intense strength and pressure warped it. After just a few hits, his armor began to break, and a spinning kick to his head flipped him away, fracturing his visor at the same time.

He pushed himself up to his feet, and he watched as the rest of Blue Team tried in vain to put her down. But each time they got a bead on her location, she simply used her Semblance to reverse herself, throwing their aim off and making them hit nothing. The Master Chief realized that now, for the first time since this engagement began, Haki was truly taking them seriously, and she was destroying them. Was this the full might of a trained Huntress? Could Aura really make someone this strong? It was a humbling feeling, but that feeling was washed away as he saw Kelly get thrown through one of the standing stones, causing it to crumble and collapse.

"Kelly!" John yelled out. He let out a sigh of relief as Kelly rolled clear from the collapsing structure, although her armor was bleeding in places and damaged severely. She flashed a yellow acknowledgement light, telling John that she was in bad shape. A quick glance towards Fred told John that he was in a similar state, his armor now much more heavily damaged and his helmet dented in areas from the severe blows he was getting.

A sinking feeling filled John's gut, and he realized that there would be no way to take Haki in alive, not without risking one or more of his SPARTANs dying. Knowing what he had to do, he rushed back to the pile of grenades they had set and fished them out before sprinting back towards Haki.

Bringing up one of the grenades, John yelled out, "Get back!"

Fred immediately jumped away, the exercise more laborious than before, and the grenade landed at Haki's feet. She immediately used her Semblance to reverse herself, but just as she came to a stop, John threw another grenade. She was forced to use her Semblance again, and this time he saw her Aura flicker dangerously. Realizing that it must finally be running low, John threw another grenade, his sharp memory telling him where she was going next. The rest of Blue Team realized where she was going as well, and as John threw his second to last grenade, the SPARTANs were already aiming their weapons where Haki reemerged.

Before she had a chance to escape once again, an explosion and a hail of bullets tore into her. Haki's body was rocked back and forth from the impacts, and at first her Aura was able to take the blows. Then, as though in slow motion, John's final grenade was hurled at her and struck her head. The force of the impact was enough to finally break her Aura. It was like watching an Elite's energy shield overload and pop, and her eyes widened as the rest of the bullets continued, tearing through her body repeatedly. Red blood spurted out of her mouth, and she tried to gasp in pain but found herself unable to. As she collapsed onto the ground, John ordered his team to cease fire.

But it was too late for her, and they all knew it as the grenade came to a stop near her. She stared lazily at it, then to the SPARTANs' surprise, she began to laugh. With her last breath, she muttered quietly, "Well now. This will be interesting. Shame I won't be able to see it."

Then the grenade exploded, killing Haki Felt instantly. Her body was turned to mulch as the shrapnel tore into her flesh, leaving behind a chunky red stain on the churned snow. Blue Team kept their weapons trained on the carcass, then John relaxed, signaling the rest of Blue Team to do the same.

"_Everest,_ this is Sierra-117. Haki Felt has been neutralized, KIA." He glanced towards Fred and Kelly, who were barely standing upright, and he added, "We have two SPARTANs in need of immediate medical attention. Requesting med evac."

"_Understood, Master Chief. Evac en route. ETA, sixty seconds,_" Hannibal replied.

A few moments later, John heard engines of Warthogs and Falcons grow louder and louder before they emerged out into the open. He saw marines, with Sergeant Johnson at the front, secure the area while corpsmen rushed towards the SPARTANs. They quickly applied first aid, doing their best to treat their wounds while Sergeant Johnson walked up to Haki's corpse.

He whistled while grimacing, then turned to the SPARTAN leader and said, "Real pretty, Chief."

"She left us no choice," John asserted.

"I don't doubt that," he granted, pulling out his cigar and placing it in his mouth before lighting it.

As the rest of the UNSC marines surveyed the area, John felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise and he shot his head towards the tree line. The only thing he saw was a lone crow cleaning itself while periodically looking at him. It was certainly an odd behavior, but crows on Earth were noted to be highly intelligent. He chalked it up to simple animal curiosity, then as a Pelican descended, he and the rest of Blue Team hopped on.

* * *

Qrow watched as the UNSC secured Haki's dead body. He had arrived only a few minutes before, following the trail of destruction that started at the mountains and ended at the cliffside ruins. When Qrow arrived, he was surprised to find Haki engaged with four huge and heavily armored soldiers who were giving her a run for her money. At first, he fully intended to jump in and lend a hand, not wanting to pass up the chance to finally put down one of Salem's agents, but soon he saw that the soldiers had the upper hand. This was in spite of the fact that they had no Aura whatsoever, something that only became more obvious as Haki grew more and more deranged the further the fight went on. He quickly became certain that the soldiers had this one, so he resolved to instead observe quietly and report his findings to Ozpin. Towards the end, when Haki went all out, he was once again tempted to jump in, but the soldiers were somehow able to turn around their dire straits, resulting in her death.

He could tell that it wasn't what they wanted. There was a recognizable difference between people trying to capture someone and people going straight for the kill. In all likelihood, had they chosen to use that laser cannon on her directly they might have been able to kill her at the very start, but instead they settled for glancing blows with their most powerful weapons. Only when Haki forced their hand did they put her down. That told Qrow that these people were an entirely different breed of soldier than what the UNSC otherwise fielded. Super soldiers, as it were. _Classified_ super soldiers, given how the UNSC didn't want to tell Remnant about their existence, and were already hurriedly bundling them away before any native witnesses could arrive.

Yet another secret that the UNSC was keeping from them. Qrow mentally added it to the long list of questions he had about the UNSC and their motives, and as the super soldiers piled into a Pelican, likely to receive medical attention, he studied their armor much more closely. It was certainly much more impressive than the black armor of the ODSTs and a far cry from the olive-green marine BDUs. In fact, he was confident in saying that whatever armor those super soldiers were wearing was the most advanced suit of armor he had ever seen. It had to be, in order to allow Aura-less humans to go toe-to-toe with one of the more dangerous Huntresses in the world. Well, ex-Huntress, in multiple senses of the word now. There was something else about them, though. The super soldiers seemed to be far stronger and faster than anyone without Aura had any right to be. Qrow wondered if the armor had some kind of strength augmenting capabilities, or if something else was going on behind the scenes.

What concerned him the most, however, was their demeanor. These super soldiers didn't act like soldiers or Huntsmen usually did. They weren't even like Atlesian Specialists, who were the closest thing he could think of to compare them to. In fact, they seemed cold and detached, more like robots than people. It was something that even Haki picked up on, which only worsened her mental state as the fight went on. Their behavior was disturbing on a number of levels, but he still had no idea as to what their deal was.

Qrow Branwen knew one thing, though. Ozpin would want to know that these people existed, and as the Pelican ferrying them flew away back into orbit, Qrow flew off back towards Amity Colosseum.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of _Dust and Echoes_! Sorry for the long wait, but as you can see, I had to write a lot for this chapter. It's officially the longest chapter of this story at nearly 17k words. That takes a lot to do, which wasn't helped by the fact that I wrote a two-part chapter for _Hunters of Justice_ earlier in the month. To make it up to you guys, I hope to write the next chapter within the next week. It'll help that it'll be much, much shorter.

We finally got a case of SPARTANs vs Huntsmen, the resident badasses of _Halo_ and _RWBY_, respectively, and as you can see it was a very close engagement. Luckily, our favorite super soldiers were able to come out on top. Haki Felt is now dead, but questions remain on both sides. Those questions, and more, will be answered in due time.

Now, onto the Q&A:

**Guest (1): **He and everyone else will have bigger things to worry about.

**Cyberpunk1-009: **Yep. I love the marines, and I hope to do them justice in this story. Them fighting on to the bitter end was a great way to show that, in my opinion.

**Guest (2): **You'll have to wait and see what the Brutes can do, but rest assured they and the rest of the Covenant are not to be trifled with my any stretch of the imagination.

**Guest (3): **You'll have to wait and see what I do with the Faunus.

**Guest (4): **No, Ozpin will not be taking control of ONI. By the way, if this is from the same person, please try to consolidate all of your guest reviews into one.

**chidoriprime: **Nah, just Haki. Hazel was content to stay incognito, but Haki saw an opportunity and decided to take it despite his reservations. And yeah, one of the things I want to do is show a balanced UNSC, both in terms of capabilities as well as character. They're powerful, but not to an overwhelming degree, and while they definitely have done some shady shit over the years, at their core they are trying to legitimately defend humanity. These chapters were a good way for me to showcase the former, with the latter taking a greater focus as time goes on. It was also a good way to show just how much stronger Remnant humans are compared to their Earthborne cousins. It took four SPARTAN-IIs to bring down Haki, and they only managed to do that because she didn't take them seriously. Hannibal freaking out over the mere existence of Aura and Semblances was a treat, honestly. As for Halsey, it wasn't guilt. Deep down, she does feel guilty over what she did to them, but she's been able to convince herself it was for the greater good of humanity. She's not worried about her SPARTANs being dismissed. She's merely wondering "what is this and how can I work with it?"

**Vist-97: **Balance is very important to me when it comes to writing a story, both in terms of in-story capabilities as well as balancing out-of-story feats with the needs of the plot. You'll have to wait and see how I have Remnant and the UNSC affect each other, though, just know that it will be in character for both societies.

**SenorGorilla: **Well, I'm happy that you enjoyed the story so much to binge it entirely! Thank you for the praise. As for your other questions, I do plan on showing the other SPARTAN generations, and you'll have to wait and see if people from Remnant are included in them.

**kpmh2001: **Nope, they go right into the thick of it. Because that's marines do.

**shados960: **Thank you, I'm happy you enjoyed it so much! Don't worry, as I mentioned earlier, the UNSC will not be overpowered gods in this setting. Neither will RWBY for that matter. I really dislike the general trope of one side of a crossover completely outclassing the other side. One can certainly be stronger, don't get me wrong, but at least give the other a fighting chance. Basically, don't expect this story to be a stomp fic as I despise those.

The UNSC's reaction was one of my favorite things regarding these chapters as well. When you take a pseudo-plausible setting like Halo and throw them against the utterly impossible aspects of a setting like RWBY, you need to show how they try, and fail, to comprehend what they're seeing. But they're smart people, and now that they've gotten over their shock, they're starting to wonder both how it works as well as how it can be used to their benefit. In regards to UNSC people getting access to Aura, you'll have to wait and see where I go with that. Same with how the UNSC and Remnant interact going forward.

**LiquidusSnake: **Thank you, I'm happy to hear that. I really am proud of how this First Contact Arc went. You're right, so many of them are just so ham-fisted and fast, and I wanted to make sure that everything made sense from both sides in a realistic manner.

**The-Killer40513: **That will be revealed in due time.

**Strike Wyvern: **I gotta make Johnson sound like himself. If I don't, I have failed you all as a writer.

**Drake G. Reaper: **Oh, Penny is going to be really interesting, don't worry.

**Steelrain66: **Glad to hear it. Hope you enjoyed this update just as much. And yeah, Huntsmen and Huntresses are strong. For me to properly respect RWBY as a setting, I need to show that.

**Major Simi: **Yep, to the eyes of the UNSC, Remnant is utterly insane. But they can work with insanity, because they don't have a choice otherwise.

**DeadRich18: **I hope to have the next chapter up before then, don't worry. Glad you liked the chapter!

**Guest (5): **That's what Cole and Halsey are beginning to believe, yes.

**The Avenging Titan: **I think Qrow, despite his general disdain towards a standing military due to what they represent in Remnant's history, even he would respect the audacity of people who decided it was perfectly fine to drop from orbit into enemy-infested territory. Everyone did. Let it be known that I love the ODSTs and will give them the proper respect they deserve. Qrow will not be joining the SPARTANs, though. He'll definitely get ODST certification, but he won't become a SPARTAN. He was wearing ARTEMIS armor, which is like MJOLNIR in that in uses the same permutations, but it is a separate thing meant for Huntsmen and Huntresses. As for ODSTs and SPARTANs getting Aura, you'll have to wait and see on that front. Answering that would be spoilers.

**Vein Bloodborne: **Yep, things are about to heat up. We're entering the third and final act of the First Contact arc, which is Remnant meeting the Covenant for the first time. That is going to be fun.

**Hamilton406: **He's hypothesizing that based off of the fact that fire Dust rounds exist. He doesn't know for certain, all he knows is that whoever the UNSC is undoubtedly fighting at the moment uses high heat in their weapons.

**Knighthunter911700**: Thank you, I'm happy to hear that. But, as you can see, at the moment if a SPARTAN and a skilled Huntsman were to go head to head, the SPARTAN would lose. Granted, Haki was in the upper echelon of Huntsmen and Huntresses, but had she taken them seriously from the beginning, they would have died. It took four SPARTANs using their training, wits, and ingenuity to their fullest to barely eek out a victory, and even then it kind of wasn't as they were supposed to capture her. She just forced her hand.

**Ultra Sonic 007: **That it did, which Qrow picked up on.

That's it for this update. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and let us know what you think. See you all next time!


	12. A Brave New World

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 11: A Brave New World**

[~][~]

_UNSC _Everest_, Valliant-Class Super-Heavy Cruisier_

_Geosynchronous Orbit, Remnant, Oum System_

_December 18__th__, 2540, 1700 (UNSC Military Calendar)_

John-117 only felt the full extent of his injuries after they got back onto the _Everest_. With his adrenaline finally wearing off, his entire body felt as though it was on fire. Every slight movement sent pain shooting through him, and he was more than certain that he would need weeks of recovery to get back into the fight. Linda was in the best condition out of Blue Team, with only a few bruises for her trouble, and Kelly was in a similar situation to him. Fred was by far the most seriously wounded out of them all, and the Master Chief could only watch as Fred was wheeled away to the medical bay, where his extensive injuries would have to be dealt with immediately.

"How is he?" John asked as he watched the doctors work on Fred through the observation window.

"Sierra-104 has suffered from three broken ribs, a ruptured kidney, extensive internal bleeding, as well as a partially collapsed lung," Hannibal revealed, speaking through John's MJOLNIR. "His right shoulder is also dislocated, and many of his ligaments and tendons have suffered damage."

"How long will recovery take?"

"My estimate is roughly two months," Hannibal replied, and John couldn't help but frown and clench his fist. Sensing his distress, Hannibal added, "You mustn't blame yourself, Master Chief. As far as I'm concerned, you did the best you could do in your situation. Haki Felt was, by all accounts, a highly accomplished and deadly ex-Huntress, and might I remind you that we've never faced a being with Aura before today."

"My 'best' resulted in my SPARTANs almost dying," John countered. "The only reason why we are even alive is because Haki didn't take us seriously. Had she done so from the beginning, or had been of sound mind, we wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Correct, but she didn't. That was a fatal mistake on her part, and even when she started taking you seriously, you were still able to overwhelm her despite her statistical superiority," Hannibal pointed out. "It's almost like fighting the Covenant, in a way."

John supposed that Hannibal had a point, if at a vastly different scale. The Covenant, when compared to humanity at large, had all the advantages. Their technology, from weapons and space travel to simple communications, was centuries ahead of anything the UNSC had. Their soldiers, especially the higher ranking species like Elites, Brutes, and Hunters, were stronger than humans were. Even Grunts, if properly motivated, were easily capable of disemboweling a marine, and Drones were able to lift a fully equipped soldier into the air by their own power. Then there were the sheer numbers the Covenant were able to throw at humanity. They were seemingly endless, while humanity lost millions, sometimes billions, each and every year.

Yet despite all of these inherent advantages, the Covenant had one crucial weakness: they weren't using them properly. Most of their soldiers were poorly trained, their commanders using outdated tactics with a blind insistence on what they felt was honorable that allowed a skilled human commander to turn the tide to their favor. This was most obvious on the ground, where humanity often won their engagements with the Covenant, albeit with heavy casualties. Afterwards, the Covenant would often retreat back into space, where they held the absolute advantage before promptly glassing the planet from orbit, making the entire effort pointless in the end. But even in space there were ways for humanity to sometimes counter them. Admiral Cole himself had faced the Covenant dozens of times over the past fifteen years, and had never lost a battle.

The SPARTANs trying to fight Haki Felt was a similarly lopsided battle. Haki had clearly been stronger, faster, and more durable than anyone on Blue Team. It was something both she and the SPARTANs were able to recognize, which is where her downfall began. While Blue Team, after their initial retreat, learned from their encounter and adjusted accordingly, Haki remained fixated on her clear superiority, allowing her insane bloodlust to take hold. Had John been in her situation, he either wouldn't have let them escape in the first place or he would have fallen back to avoid capture, but she didn't. Instead, she pointlessly went after them, where Blue Team was able to, with much effort, put her down.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome of their first engagement with a Huntress, John knew that were they to ever fight another Huntsman or Huntress again, they could _not_ afford to tread lightly. First, they would need to know every single thing they could about them, from their history and personality to their weapon and semblance. Then, they would need to field at least a full team of SPARTANs, or dozens of ODSTs and marines, just to even the odds, and even that wouldn't be enough. Instead of attempting to take down a Huntsman in close to medium range with their standard equipment, they would arm themselves with Spartan Lasers, Stanchions, and other such heavy weaponry and attempt an assassination from several kilometers away. If that wasn't an option and they had to get close, then they would bring in air and ground support, such as Warthogs and Hornets. Finally, much like how they killed Haki, luring the Huntsman or Huntress into a trap had proven to be effective, a tactic that John felt would be their best overall.

That was really what it all boiled down to. Much like facing the Covenant, brute force wouldn't win the day. It would only be through clever tactics and strategy that they could achieve victory, and John vowed that should they ever be put into that position again, their victory would be much clearer.

At the same time, his thoughts drifted to the horizon. If he and his SPARTANs, the best the UNSC had to offer, had experienced so much trouble against a single mentally ill Huntress, how would the Covenant fare? It was a question that he knew without a shred of doubt that both Doctor Halsey and Admiral Cole were asking and keen on getting answers to. John wished them the best of luck, because he knew that after today, the best chance humanity had at surviving the Covenant's relentless onslaught was somehow being able to tap into the strengths Aura and Dust provided. Whether that be learning how to use it themselves, or bringing Remnant into the fold. He supposed, based off of testimony from Sergeant Graves, that the latter was far more likely. Apparently, Atlesian doctors and even the headmaster of Beacon Academy had attempted to 'unlock' the sergeant's Aura, but all of their attempts failed.

That wouldn't stop ONI, of course. He knew firsthand just how far they were willing to go if they deemed it necessary for humanity's survival. While John didn't regret his life turning out the way it did, he recognized the inherent injustice inflicted upon him and his SPARTANs. Part of him supposed he should hate the UNSC and Doctor Halsey for what they did to them, but he didn't. None of the SPARTAN-IIs did, for while they may have lost their chance at a normal life, becoming SPARTANs gave them purpose. John didn't believe in fate or destiny, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel how serendipitous it was that the SPARTAN-IIs finished their training and augmentations just before the Covenant began their onslaught. Had ONI, Doctor Halsey, Chief Mendez, or anyone associated with the SPARTAN-II Program not conscripted them, humanity would have lost their greatest weapon so far against the aliens.

He wondered if it was another serendipitous occasion that they found Remnant here and now, when the Covenant were well on their way towards glassing the Inner Colonies much like they had done to the Outer Colonies. Remnant may only be a single planet with less than one billion people, but only thirty-three SPARTANs were able to hold the Covenant back this long. What happens if you add a couple hundred, if not thousands, of warriors stronger than SPARTANs? John eagerly anticipated finding the answer to that question.

"Master Chief, before we can debrief you, I insist that you also submit yourself to a proper medical examination," Hannibal insisted.

John didn't respond, instead nodding and turning around to walk into an empty medical bay, where specialists were waiting to carefully remove his MJOLNIR Mk. IV armor. As each piece was taken off, he saw for the first time just how extensive the damage was, and he couldn't help but sadly frown. His MJOLNIR was like a second skin, and seeing it so badly damaged only served to remind him of just how close his brush with death was. John resolved himself to learn from this experience, and allowed the medical examination to continue unabated.

* * *

_Amity Colosseum_

_Vytal Island, Kingdom of Vale, Sanus_

_December 18__th__, 2540, 1830 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

"Haki Felt is…dead?" Professor Ozpin asked, slightly disbelieving of the news.

"Indeed, she is," Doctor Halsey repeated herself. "My team attempted to nonlethally apprehend her for interrogation, but she…resisted. Put up quite the effort in doing so before they were forced to put her down."

"I see," General Ironwood said, rubbing his chin. "Well, I suppose that is good news, if slightly disappointing. A capture and interrogation would have been preferable."

"Haki had been one of our most wanted criminals for years," Professor Theodore added, crossing his bare arms over his chest. "Every one of our attempts to capture her had failed. I suppose this really was the only way it was ever going to end."

"She certainly left us with no choice," Halsey stated, frowning slightly. The fact that her SPARTANs nearly died in the attempt was, admittedly, a stinging blow to her pride, but she forced herself to remain objective. Besides, she was already planning on making sure that never happened again.

"If I may, Doctor Halsey, was your team able to ascertain what Haki's semblance was?" Professor Rumpole asked. Halsey nodded then adjusted her glasses before reading over the debriefing sent to her once again.

"It was apparently," Halsey stopped to release a put-upon sigh, feeling a migraine coming on once again, "some kind of temporal reversion field in a small area around her."

"She had a Semblance that strong?" Glynda asked, raising her eyebrow slightly. "No wonder she escaped justice for so long."

Halsey stared at the professor silently for a few moments, then quietly said, "You aren't surprised by this. This is something _normal_ to you."

"Time-based semblances are indeed rare," Professor Ozpin admitted, "and are often above average in their power and utility, but they aren't unheard of."

Halsey remained silent, her eyelid twitching slightly before she groaned and pinched her nose. She then declared, "Of course, your people are capable of breaking the laws of physics on a whim. Why not?"

Professor Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle, then pointed out, "To be fair, Doctor, your people do have FTL. We honestly thought _that_ was impossible."

"Slipspace is based on science," Halsey insisted. "Not whatever magic Aura runs off of."

"Aura is not magic," Ozpin pointedly countered.

"I beg your pardon_?_"

"It's not. Neither Aura nor Dust are considered to be magic to us."

"Please, by all means, enlighten me on the difference," Halsey requested. Ozpin straightened himself, almost as though he had given this exact conversation before, and part of Halsey suspected that he had.

"Magic, according to our legends and ancient tales, is unquantifiable. It has no true limits, no barriers, and it can do practically anything the user wants, so long as they know how to properly use it," Ozpin explained. "In contrast, we know exactly what Aura and Dust can do and, more importantly, what their limitations are. For example, Burn Dust can only produce fire and heat, and to create said fire or heat, the Dust must be consumed. Semblances are another example, although much more varied. They are formed from the individual's Aura and personality, and use their Aura as fuel. Once someone runs out of Aura, their Semblance is no longer usable."

"To summarize, Doctor Halsey," Pietro happily added, "Aura and Dust have understandable and universal rules and laws that govern them just like the natural world. Rules that can be manipulated and stretched, of course, but still followed at all times."

Halsey stared at them for a moment. She wanted to do nothing other than groan, feeling that their explanation was wildly incorrect, but at the same time she could understand where their logic was coming from. It only added to her frustration, which the others were clearly noticing. While most were more than willing to drop the subject and move on, it appeared that Doctor Watts wasn't so willing and he eagerly leaned forward to add his two cents into the discussion.

"Honestly, Doctor, your Slipspace might as well be magic," Doctor Watts stated, causing Halsey to shoot her attention towards him. "I mean, ripping open a portal to another dimension with different physical laws and traversing said dimension to cross interstellar distances is hardly any less magical than drawing on the power of our souls. Especially since traversing Slipspace apparently affects the passage of time as well."

"Kindly do _not_ attempt to compare using machines designed using the application of highly advanced physics to reversing the flow of time by _thinking about it real hard_," Halsey forcibly demanded. "They are two entirely different things."

Doctor Watts was momentarily taken aback by Halsey's forceful retort. It was clear to her that the smug scientist wasn't used to someone calling him out like she did, and he frowned at her for a moment before clearing his throat and raising his hands placatingly. He then said, "Of course. I meant no disrespect, Doctor Halsey. I must admit, while I do not fully understand Slipspace, I am very eager to learn."

"None taken," Halsey replied, then sighed to herself and collected her thoughts.

Aura, Dust, and Semblances still seemed like magic to her, but at the same time she knew that appearances were deceiving. What seemed like magic today was highly, highly likely to instead operate on some hitherto unknown field of science that was just begging to be understood. Halsey swore that she was going to be the one to crack it, to sufficiently analyze the fantastical compounds and abilities to where they went back to being science rather than magic. Both for her mental stability, and more importantly, to find ways to replicate it.

"Still, my mind keeps going back to Haki and her Semblance," Ozpin admitted, frowning slightly. "The fact that her Semblance could reverse the flow of time around her is…disturbingly telling."

"How so?" Halsey asked, and Professor Lionheart cleared his throat before answering.

"As my colleague suggested earlier, Semblances are unique to the individual," the lion faunus stated. "We don't know exactly whether Semblances are affected by the person or the other way around, but we have found a connection between a Semblance and an individual's personality. Haki's Semblance is no different."

"If she could reverse the time around her, yet return back to normal time soon after…" Ozpin softly said, "it almost seems as though she wants to take something back but deep down she knows she can't."

The other Remnantians pondered Ozpin's words, but Halsey remained neutral. As far as she was concerned, the death of Haki Felt wasn't a tragedy, but rather a necessary deed. She was too far gone and had done too much, and everyone was better off without her. That wasn't to say that they were done with her. The UNSC had managed to recover her corpse, mangled as it was, from the battlefield. It was heavily damaged, but they had worked with less before. Perhaps they might be able to glean some knowledge from it. So far, the only thing they managed to learn was that Haki's neural pathways were heavily degraded, with copious amounts of Lightning Dust in her system. Halsey might not be an expert in Dust, not yet at least, but even she could find the connection.

Haki Felt had undoubtedly been exposed to Lightning Dust over the course of years, and over time her nervous system was disrupted by the Dust's electrical impulses. It would have started as harmless twitching of the extremities, but then turned into spasms and perhaps seizures before finally reaching the brain. Once there, her neurons and glia degraded, resulting in her schizophrenia. Judging by the extent of the brain damage, Halsey estimated that Haki, even if she hadn't decided that attacking the SPARTANs was a good idea, only had a few more years left in her life. Ten at most, assuming she stopped what she had been doing immediately and gotten proper treatment. Which the UNSC would have provided had they captured her, after taking her to the Midnight Facility.

"In any case," General Ironwood cut through the silence, looking at Doctor Halsey, "you have our thanks for bringing her to justice. Do you by any chance have the body?"

"Unfortunately, no. We had to use explosives," Halsey answered. The delegates cringed, clearly imagining the messy aftermath, but Ozpin looked at her suspiciously. Halsey stared right back, and the two focused only on each other before the Headmaster, still looking right at her, began to speak.

"I see. Well, I suppose it can't be helped," Ozpin admitted. Halsey nodded, but before the meeting could finally end and she could return back to the _Everest_ and her SPARTANs, she had one more question to ask.

"There's one more thing," Halsey stated, causing everyone to focus on her again. "Before she died, when she began to realize that she wasn't going to make it, Haki Felt mentioned a 'she' who would punish her for her failure. In all likelihood, it was simply her sick mind playing tricks with her, but on the off chance it isn't…do any of you know whom she might be referring to?"

Halsey could feel the temperature drop several degrees, specifically from a few select people. Most, including General Ironwood, Doctor Watts, Doctor Polendina, Ghira Belladonna, and others looked at her in confusion. They clearly had no idea what she was talking about, but Halsey wasn't focused on them. Instead, she was focusing on the headmasters and their direct subordinates, all of whom had shared looks of recognition with each other. They only lasted a split second, but it was enough for Halsey to see it all the same.

"Ah, I may be able to answer that," Professor Lionheart spoke up, his voice slightly cowed as Halsey shot her attention towards him. "After Haki murdered her team and fled Haven Academy, it was discovered that she had joined the Cult of the Ash Bride."

"'Cult of the Ash Bride?'" Halsey asked, studying every feature of the faunus' face.

"A religious movement," Ozpin explained. "They believe that their goddess, the titular Ash Bride, has a divine, almost royal, connection to the Grimm, and that by worshipping her they may be spared the Grimm's wrath. The vast, vast majority are completely harmless, but some are driven to…extremes to prove their devotion."

"So, a religious extremist?" Halsey asked, and Ozpin nodded.

"I believe so, yes. Either her mind had degraded to the point where she truly believed she had met her goddess, or more likely she was found by someone who was more than willing to take advantage of her and her faith. Who that person might be, I do not know, but in any case it is clear that her faith was taken advantage of to make her do some truly heinous acts."

"My people are more than aware of that truth," Halsey admitted, her voice holding a slight saddened edge to it. At the same time, she knew that Ozpin was, if not necessarily lying, then definitely not telling the full truth. He and the other headmasters were hiding something, and she was going to find out what it was eventually. There was more to this than met the eye, but at the moment she was content with letting them keep their secrets.

"Well then, I suppose I should be going," Halsey stated. "Admiral Cole should be back shortly. Thank you for your hospitality."

"The honor is ours, Doctor," Ghira declared, giving her a soft smile. Halsey nodded back, then turned around and walked out of the conference room, flanked by two ODSTs. Until the doors finally closed behind her, Halsey could feel the intensity of Ozpin's attention focused squarely on her.

If there was one thing Catherine Halsey had learned during this entire conference, it was this: there was something deeper going on in Remnant, something just out of sight. Something that this 'Professor Ozpin' was deeply involved in. She didn't care how long it took, but she was going to find exactly what it was.

* * *

Qrow Branwen watched as the UNSC forces packed up their equipment and began to retire back to their base. The first day of the First Contact Summit was now officially over, but that didn't mean the entire event was concluded. Normal diplomatic summits between the kingdoms took several days, at least, to cover everything they wanted on top of the pomp and circumstance, as well as the simple logistical back-and-forth. This summit was obviously on an entirely different scale, and although it was ad hoc on the UNSC's perspective, it was being treated with the utmost care and diligence. He suspected that it would be at least a week before both sides were comfortable enough to end before the actual UNSC diplomats arrived, at which point summits lasting months, if not years, would begin.

Of course, the Grimm attack had undoubtedly thrown a wrench into everybody's plans, which was why the delegates were leaving for the night to return to Vale before coming back in the morning. Everyone wanted to make sure that the entire island was secure before starting things back up again.

"So, you guys fight those things on the regular?" Sergeant Johnson asked, and Qrow nodded while leaning against a tree.

"Yep. It's what I was trained for, actually," Qrow admitted while taking a drink from his flask, and Johnson nodded while taking a huff of his cigar.

"Well I certainly wasn't. Those were some tough bastards, but they weren't a match for some mean, green muscle," Johnson replied, giving a soft chuckle that Qrow couldn't help but roll his eyes at. Johnson then took out his cigar and looked at Qrow, then said, "It's been nice talkin' to ya, Branwen, but I gotta head out. I'll see you around."

"Sure," Qrow replied, watching as Johnson put out his cigar and walked away, his bulky assault rifle strapped to the magnetic holster on his back. The marine sergeant rejoined his squad then walked into the base, which was apparently a temporary fortification built around a massive armored vehicle called an Elephant. Johnson waved one last time to Qrow as he went inside, the doors sealing shut behind him. Only then did Qrow sigh and put away his flask, then he got off the tree and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

Overall, Qrow had to admit that his opinions on the UNSC were mixed. They seemed far too militarized to his liking, to an even greater degree than Atlas. Sure, he had only met their military, but from what Ozpin had managed to feed him, the UEG and the UNSC were quite intertwined politically, culturally, and economically. So he felt fairly confident that his assessment was accurate, at least to a certain extent. He also didn't like how secretive they tried to be, first with their initial encounters, then with whatever the Covenant was as well as those super soldiers he saw fighting, and killing, Haki Felt.

But, at the same time, he had to acknowledge that the UNSC's soldiers were genuinely brave and honorable people. Even without Aura nor any experience in fighting them, they held their ground against the Grimm's onslaught. They protected each other and Qrow's own people with no hesitation, standing tall and proud in spite of the odds being stacked against them. He even saw this with the super soldiers, who easily recognized how outmatched they were, yet instead of breaking they managed to do something no one on Remnant had done before and killed Haki. Qrow also had to admit that he actually liked Sergeant Johnson, although he was still convinced he would most likely never see him again once all this was over. But, if he did, he wouldn't mind going out for drinks with the guy. Seemed like he'd be a fun person to be around.

Qrow's thoughts were then interrupted as he found his way to where the main leaders were gathering. Most of the delegates were leaving, making sure their belongings were in order before hopping into Bullheads and flying off. Only the Headmasters, Glynda and Rumpole, and General Ironwood were left, all of whom were waiting patiently on him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. That Johnson guy wouldn't leave me alone," Qrow declared, coming to a stop in front of them.

"Yes, my men have been reporting that he's a very personable individual," Ironwood added. "They were quite impressed with him and enjoyed his company."

"He was easy to get along with, I'll tell you that. Probably why the UNSC chose him to be in charge of their forces down here."

"That seems to be an apt observation," Ozpin stated, giving a soft nod. Then his expression hardened, and he asked, "Were you able to see anything?"

"You mean the fight against Haki? Then yeah, I saw it," Qrow answered, taking another drink from his flask.

From the corner of his eye, he saw both Glynda and Ironwood grimace at the guzzling of alcohol during what was perhaps the most important and momentous occasion in Remnant's history, but he didn't really care. Besides, he only started drinking after they started to leave. It wasn't like he was drunk _during_ the meeting. That would have been stupid.

"Well? What happened?" Professor Lionheart asked. Qrow put away his flask and nodded, then took a short breath before starting.

"I missed the first part of the fight," the veteran Huntsman admitted, "but from what I saw, it wasn't pretty. There were four tracks in the snow leading up the mountain, where they caught up to Haki just above the tree line. They surrounded her on all sides then, I assume, tried to arrest her. She didn't like that and a fight broke out, which ended with at least one of the soldiers assigned to capture her being wounded."

"Which matches up with what Doctor Halsey said," Glynda said, rubbing her chin. The others nodded, subtly giving Qrow permission to continue.

"They retreated towards the coast, with the wounded soldier being carried by another, given the fact that four tracks went in while three went out. Haki apparently rested for a few minutes before following them after incinerating what I assume was her scroll," Qrow added, then frowned and shook his head. "By the time I tracked them down to an ancient ruin, following the gunshots, Haki was already confronting them again.

"Here's where things get interesting, though." Qrow raised his finger. "I was expecting Haki to be fighting four ODSTs, with one of them being wounded or dead, but they weren't ODSTs and all four were still fighting. The soldiers that the UNSC sent after Haki Felt weren't like their regular troops. They were wearing this kind of…fully encased power armor, far more advanced than anything I'd ever seen before. Remnant or otherwise. It allowed them to keep up with her and tank her blows, and I could see that they didn't need my help."

"You didn't help them?" General Ironwood asked, and Qrow nodded.

"If they were losing, I was going to. In fact, my plan _was_ to help them, but when I got there they were winning and Haki was losing her damn mind because she _knew _it," Qrow insisted. "So I decided to sit back and watch from a good vantage point where they couldn't see me, and where I could jump in if things went south. Towards the end, I almost did, but they managed to turn things around."

"How?" Professor Rumpole asked.

"From the looks of it, they caught on to how Haki's semblance worked. When she panicked and started burning it out, they used grenades to put her into position then all four shot her at the same time. Then she was blown up by the last grenade, which I don't think they intended to happen."

"I see," Ozpin softly said, nodding at Qrow's words. He then asked, "What happened to her body?"

"From what I could see, it was pretty mangled. Hardly recognizable, really, but they still took it up with them when UNSC reinforcements arrived."

"Hmm," Ozpin hummed, rubbing his chin and frowning softly. "They told us that they killed her with explosives, but led us to believe that Haki's body was completely destroyed. That appears to have been a half-truth."

"It appears so," Ironwood said, his frown deeper. He then sighed, and added, "Regardless, there are far more pressing matters to attend to than the fate of a terrorist's body. Namely, those soldiers you observed. What can you tell us about them, Branwen?"

Qrow frowned and scrunched his eyes, then answered, "They were…weird, to say the least. There were four of them, two men and two women. At least, I think that's what they were. The armor they wore made it difficult to tell, but two of them were noticeably slimmer. As with the rest of the UNSC's soldiers, they didn't have any Aura, but they were _strong_. Fast, too. Far stronger and faster than any human being without Aura had any right to be. Almost as strong as a Huntsman, actually. I saw one of them get punted through a standing stone, collapsing the entire thing, but she got back up and started firing her shotgun at Haki like it never even happened. I don't know if their armor made them that strong or if there was something else going on, but it was clear that these soldiers were enhanced in some way."

"Are you saying the UNSC has super soldiers?" Ozpin asked, raising an eyebrow, and Qrow nodded.

"_Classified_ super soldiers, actually. Almost as soon as Haki died and UNSC reinforcements arrived, they ushered them off before any of our people could see them. The UNSC did not want us to know they existed. But that's not the concerning part. What concerns me is how those soldiers acted."

"In what way? Were they unprofessional?" Ironwood, but Qrow shook his head.

"No, just the opposite. They were so professional, they were outright emotionless. Before I saw one of them bleeding out the abdomen, I thought they were _robots_. There wasn't any nervous fidgeting, no displays of fear or pain. I didn't even see _anger_. It was like they didn't even have emotions at all."

Ozpin and the others looked at Qrow for a moment, then shared concerned glances among each other. Qrow was right there with them. The idea of humans being more like robots than actual people was highly concerning, to put it lightly. It raised all kinds of questions, ones that likely didn't have very pleasant answers. The fact that the UNSC didn't want people to know that these super soldiers existed only added to his worry.

"I see," Ozpin finally broke the silence, adjusting his glasses. "Thank you for the information, Qrow. Is there anything else you wish to report?"

"No, nothing else," Qrow answered with a small shrug.

"Then I suppose all we can do now is wait and see what happens next," Ozpin declared, looking at everyone. "I think that I speak for everyone when I say that the course of Remnant's history has been forever altered after today. What comes next, I do not know, but I think it will serve everyone good to return home and recuperate for the time being."

"I'll drink to that," Qrow remarked, taking another swig of his flask in emphasis.

"You'll drink to anything," Glynda stated through lidded eyes, but Qrow merely shrugged. Glynda Goodwitch rolled her eyes and released an exasperated sigh, trying her best to ignore the subtle smirk Qrow gave her.

Everyone readily agreed all the same, feeling tired and weary after a day that felt like years. The headmasters bid each other farewell, with Ozpin staying behind everyone else to converse with General ironwood privately. Qrow had a feeling he knew what the conversation would be about, but he wasn't going to pry. Right now, all he wanted was to get back to Tai and his nieces.

When Ozpin finally returned to Qrow and Glynda, they got onto a Bullhead and flew straight from Vytal Island to the city of Vale. They watched as the two UNSC ships returned to orbit at the same time, the strength of their thrusters causing the Bullhead to shake and wobble slightly. It wasn't enough to be alarming, more annoying than anything else.

Qrow said goodbye to his colleagues once they arrived at Vale, where he immediately hopped onto yet another flight, this time heading straight to Patch Island. The main dock was once again swarming with activity, mostly clustered around a central media station were VNN was being broadcasted, detailing the press released information of the first contact meeting. He ignored all of that and made a beeline out of the small town and into a dirt road that led towards the center of the island.

Following the dirt road, he split off down another path towards the Xiao Long household. Once he got in sight of it, he smiled and let out a relieved sigh, then walked up the steps towards the front door. He only managed to knock once before the door was flung open, and he let himself be tackled to the ground by a small red blur that wrapped herself around his torso and refused to let go.

"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby screamed into his chest before looking up at him and giving a wide, toothy smile. Before Qrow could even get a word in, Ruby continued at the top of her lungs, "DID YOU MEET AN ALIEN?! WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?! ARE THEY REALLY JUST PEOPLE?! DO THEY-?!"

"Ruby, get off him so he can breathe," Taiyang Xiao Long called out, entering the frame with Yang by his legs. Ruby looked up at her father and pouted, but after Tai gave her a stern look, she complied all the same. Tai then chuckled and helped his teammate to his feet, patting him on the shoulder before leading him inside.

"Here, let me get you a drink," Tai said as he walked to the refrigerator and opened it. He pulled out two beer bottles, one of which he kept for himself while the other was offered to Qrow, who happily took it.

"Thanks, Tai," Qrow said as he took a short pull from his bottle, then wiped his lips of the foam and placed the bottle down. He noticed how everyone was focused entirely on him, and he knew the exact reason why.

He decided to take Ruby's earlier questions as his starting point, and he answered, "Yes, I did meet aliens. They're like us, in more ways than one. Friendly enough, I suppose, but they do like their guns. Reminds me of Atlas, but in space. And yeah, they really are just humans from another planet."

"Whoa…" both Ruby and Yang breathed out in rapturous awe towards their uncle, who couldn't help but chuckle.

"I saw on the news there was a Grimm attack," Taiyang started, leaning forward on the table.

"Yeah. Couple people got hurt, but we managed to fight them off."

"Well, duh! 'Cuz you were there!" Yang insisted, smiling proudly at Qrow. He chuckled again and ruffled her hair, prompting the young blonde to angrily swat his hands away, then cross her arms and pout.

"Are they nice?" Ruby gently asked. Qrow and the others looked at her for a moment, then Qrow nodded.

"Yeah, they're nice, Ruby."

Ruby smiled at the news, then declared, "That's great! I can't wait to meet one!"

"Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves, sis?" Yang teasingly asked.

"No!" Ruby insisted. "I told you, Yang, I want to become friends with an alien! Sure, they're just us from space, but that makes it so much easier!"

"Please, you'll just get scared."

"Oh, like you weren't scared?"

"I wasn't scared!"

"Yes you were! You were hiding behind dad the whole time!"

"Nah-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"They've been like this for the past month," Taiyang tiredly explained to Qrow as Ruby and Yang continued their childish argument.

"I can imagine," Qrow dryly replied, taking another drink from his beer bottle. Tai nodded, then leaned closer to Qrow in order to whisper into his ear.

"What do you think's going to happen?" he asked, and Qrow paused for a moment.

"I honestly don't know," Qrow admitted.

He truly didn't know what was going to happen next, whether it would be good for Remnant or bad. There was one thing he knew, though. Whatever new world was born from this event, Ruby and Yang were going to have to live in it, and with the Brothers as his witnesses, was going to make sure it was a good one.

* * *

_UNSC _Everest_, Valliant-Class Super-Heavy Cruisier_

_Geosynchronous Orbit, Remnant, Oum System_

_December 25__th__, 2540, 1900 (UNSC Military Calendar)_

After a grueling week of non-stop talks and ad hoc diplomacy, the First Contact Summit between the UNSC and Remnant's kingdoms was now officially over. Diplomats were going home, prefabricated buildings removed or demolished if needed, and UNSC soldiers were returning to the _Everest_, the _Iroquois,_ and the _Paris._ Of those three ships, only two would be turning home. Admiral Cole had managed to negotiate an agreement to let the _Paris_ remain in orbit so that a more long-term UNSC presence could be established. In return, the _Paris_'s forces, coordinated by Sergeant Johnson, would assist Remnant in repelling any and all hostile Grimm activity. The _Iroquois _would be returning to Reach, which was where it was originally going before they were redirected to Remnant, while the _Everest_ was going straight to Earth.

The _Dusk_ would also be remaining in system, but Remnant didn't need to know that. Part of Admiral Cole wondered if yet more ONI prowlers had arrived, but he had learned not to ask and just let ONI do its job.

"All marine and naval personnel are now in cryogenic suspension, Admiral," Hannibal reported, popping back into existence from the bridge's holotank.

"Thank you, Hannibal. Prepare my personal pod, I'll be in there momentarily," he ordered.

"At once, Admiral," Hannibal replied, giving a crisp nod before receding back into the holotank. Vice Admiral Preston Cole then turned to the only other inhabitant in the bridge, who was staring intensely at him.

"I take it you will not be joining us, Doctor?" Admiral Cole asked, and Halsey shook her head.

"No. I will be staying here as part of the UNSC's scientific outreach with Remnant, as per our negotiations," she explained.

"And the fact that you'll be in position to begin focusing entirely on Dust and Aura is a mere byproduct."

"Don't be ridiculous, Admiral. It's the entire reason why I'm staying and not having others take my place."

"Of course." Cole nodded, letting out an amused chuckle before turning back to the planet below. His face took on a more neutral set, and when Halsey joined him she adopted the same expression.

"What do we do now?" she asked, and Cole let out a long, tired sigh.

"Right now, I return to Earth to hand-deliver my report to HIGHCOMM," Admiral Cole explained, folding his arms behind his back.

"I meant after that," Halsey insisted, giving him a pointed stare. When Admiral Cole sighed, Halsey frowned and said, "You and I both know, Preston, that we _need_ them to join us against the Covenant. Their Dust and Aura could turn the tide in our favor in ways we can't even imagine yet."

"It's just one planet," Cole pointed out. "They might not be able to affect much, assuming they'll even want to join our war in the first place."

"Unfortunately, I don't think they have a choice. We found them by complete accident, and they wound up on the edge of our claimed space. It is not a matter of _if_ the Covenant finds them; it's _when_, and if the Covenant finds them as they are right now, they won't stand a chance."

Cole let out another sigh, then softly replied, "I know, but they might not see it that way."

"Then we make them see it, by any means necessary."

Cole turned his head towards Doctor Catherine Halsey and frowned, then asked, "Are you suggesting we annex them?"

"Of course not," Halsey insisted, giving the Admiral an offended sideways glare. "The last thing we need is another war, especially one that is completely unnecessary. Of course, I'm certain that fool Ackerson would insist on annexing them by force, but I've long since learned to disregard his opinions. No, I'm suggesting a softer approach. I haven't come up with any definitive ideas just yet, but I'll be sure to share them with you once they come to me."

"Before any of that, we'd still need to inform them of the Covenant in the first place. Regardless, I'll appreciate your input," Cole admitted, then returned his attention back to Remnant. He stared at it deeply, observing its features.

"It's strange, isn't it? This planet, Remnant, it's so much like Earth yet different at the same time," Cole said.

"Yes, it is. It's quite beautiful," Halsey admitted, then turned to Admiral Cole. "All the more reason to get them on our side. I don't want to see this place melted into glass."

Cole remained silent for a moment, then breathed out, "Neither do I."

"Then we are agreed. In that case, I'll return planetside. Doctor Polendina offered me a residence in Atlas, which I happily took him up on. I must admit, it is a breath of fresh air to talk with someone who both knows what he is talking about yet also happily admits when his knowledge is lacking. His upbeat attitude is welcome, too. He's much easier to get along with than Doctor Watts."

"I didn't get the impression that he liked you that much," Cole pointed out, and Halsey shrugged.

"The feeling's mutual. Doctor Watts is a blowhard who thinks he's the smartest person in the room and loves to rub it in everyone's faces."

"Don't you do that?"

"Yes, but I can back it up."

Preston Cole let out another chuckle, then he bid Halsey farewell. She nodded back to him, then returned to the nearest hangar bay where a Pelican was waiting for her. Cole, meanwhile, walked towards the private cryobay for the bridge crew. Stopping by his personal locker, he removed his clothes and walked barefoot along the metal catwalk into the only open cryopod that remained. Stepping inside, the plastasteel pod sealed shut, and the seven-minute long put down cycle began. Soon the administered anesthetic gas worked its magic on his body, and he fell into a deep, cryogenic slumber.

* * *

_December 25__th__, 69 A.G.W, 7:30 PM (Remnant Calendar)_

_Unknown Location_

Salem sat silently atop her obsidian throne as Hazel knelt before her and explained what had transpired during the summit on Vytal Island. Her expression was hard, her fingers intertwined, and her elbows resting atop her thighs.

"I see," she said as Hazel finished his report. "So, Haki is indeed dead?"

"She is, although I do not know what, exactly, killed her. Only that she mentioned a group of enhanced soldiers before she ceased communications," Hazel explained. "I can only assume they finished her off."

"Pity," Salem replied, her brow furrowing. She wasn't saddened by the loss of perhaps her most devoted agent. If anything, she had expected this to happen sooner or later. Haki Felt always did tend to let her bloodlust get the better of her. It was only a matter of time before said bloodlust resulted in her death. More than anything, Salem was simply disappointed.

"My Lady, I accept full responsibility for her—" Hazel began, only for the atmosphere inside the castle to suddenly grow heavier. His words died in his throat, and he slowly looked up as Salem got up from her throne and began walking towards him.

"Hazel, answer me truthfully," she demanded as she gracefully approached, all the while the shadows around her lengthened. "Who was responsible for Haki's death?"

Hazel looked at his master as she stood over him, and he took a deep gulp before answering, "It was Haki, my Lady."

"Yes, it was," Salem said, and at once the atmosphere and shadows returned to their previous states. As Salem walked back to her throne, she declared, "Haki let her arrogance and bloodlust get the best of her, and she blundered into a situation that she was unable to get herself out of. She herself paid the price for her mistakes, and it would not be fair for anyone else to do so in her stead. Do not take responsibility for her or anyone else's failures, Hazel. Only do so for your own. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, my Lady," Hazel replied, standing up straight.

"Good. Be sure to remind yourself of that in the future," Salem ordered, and when Hazel nodded she added, "Now then, this 'Covenant' you spoke of. Are you certain that the UNSC is at war with them?"

"Absolutely. Their marines only spoke of them in hushed whispers and offered no specifics, but it was enough to gain an incomplete image."

"An image we can still glean information from regardless," Salem pointed out, then hummed and rubbed her fingers across her chin. "The Covenant…that has a religious connotation to it. Perhaps a theocracy?"

"That's what I thought as well. It appears that the Covenant may also use high heat in their weapons, as UNSC armor is designed to protect against it despite not using it in their own armaments."

"How peculiar." Salem paused, then let out a small smile. "UNSC forces are remaining on the planet, correct?"

"Yes, my Lady. Just a single ship's complement; the kingdoms wouldn't allow any more."

"I get the distinct feeling that won't be the case for long," she suggested, and Hazel raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked, and Salem's smile grew.

"Only that the UNSC likely has some long-term goals in mind for Remnant. Goals that would require a prolonged and permanent presence," she declared. "That provides us with an opportunity. I want you to continue to observe the UNSC. Refrain from making any moves against them, not without my _explicit_ permission. When the time is right, I want you to determine what, exactly, this Covenant is and report back to me. Spare _no_ details."

"Of course, my Lady," Hazel replied, and Salem nodded before waving her hand.

"You are dismissed," Salem ordered. Hazel nodded again, then turned around and walked out of the central throne room.

Salem watched her subordinate leave, and once the large wooden doors closed behind him, she rose from her throne and walked towards a nearby chamber. Entering through an iron door, she was greeted by stacks of wooden boxes and barrels neatly aligned on the wall in shelves. They were stocked to the brim with an assortment of supplies, including food and water. While she herself had no further need for it, beyond simple comfort and pleasure, her subordinates were still quite mortal and thus required food and water to properly function. But she wasn't focused on those. Instead, she walked towards the latest addition to her stockpile, a box recovered from the Grimmlands. Unlike the others, it wasn't made of wood. Instead, it was made of metal, dark green in color with a white eagle perched on top of a planet.

The symbol of the UNSC. She had obtained it before the UNSC formally announced themselves, when they foolishly sent a squad of ODSTs deep into her territory, who were promptly slaughtered by the Grimm down to the last man, and with it she had obtained her first bit of knowledge about them. How they didn't have Aura, how their weapons seemed laughably primitive to what the kingdoms themselves used, and most importantly, how they were in fact human. At first, she thought that perhaps the two Brothers were once again playing tricks on her, but soon she realized that wasn't the case. These humans had come from another world, and with that revelation came an infinite number of questions. Questions that she had all the time in the world to find answers to, but right now she focused on only a few as she opened the box and pulled out the cracked, dented, and bloodstained helmet of an ODST.

Namely, what effect will the UNSC have on Remnant, and how can she twist it to her favor?

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of _Dust and Echoes_! Special thanks to NaanContributor and Jesse K for all their help in bringing this chapter to life.

The Remnant-portion of the First Contact Arc is now complete, and we move on to the next phase. As you can imagine, no one quite knows what will happen next, although both sides know that things will never be the same. But while Remnant wonders what their new neighbors will bring, the UNSC has already decided what they want: they want Remnant and what it offers on their side, but luckily aren't willing to use force to achieve their desperate goal. Now we move towards Remnant finding out just what, exactly, the Covenant is, and we can finally dive into the real meat of this story.

Now, onto the Q&A:

**SPRTN544:** Thank you, I'm really glad that you enjoyed it so much! I really wanted to make sure that the fight against Haki, the highlight of the chapter, got as much love and care as it deserved. It really served to show how I intend to compare/contrast SPARTANs and Huntsmen/Huntresses by pitting some of the best from both sides against each other. You can definitely be certain that both sides are going to learn from this encounter, but the UNSC is in a better position to do so for the time being. You are correct that the SPARTANs were at an incredible disadvantage against Haki, but their decades of training and experience allowed them to carry the day. That being said, it helped that they want against an opponent who wasn't taking them seriously. Had they been facing a Huntsman of sound mind and of similar skill, such as Qrow, things could have gone very differently.

**Guest (1):** Yeah, ONI's going to be a source of tension in this story, which perfectly suits them.

**TheLazyHaiku:** Thank you, glad to hear that.

**Guest**** (2):** Thank you. Honestly, that commitment to balance is a major goal of mine. I want to ensure that one side doesn't just dominate or steamroll the other, as that doesn't usually end well. The fight against Haki was a good way to show that.

**book lover reader:** As you can see, they've figured it out and now they are _interested_.

**I Am The**** Prophet:** You'll have to wait and see on that.

**Mr. Salty:** That she is.

**kpmh2001:** I understand that, however do keep in mind that the purpose of this fight was to show how, at this point in time, a Huntsmen vs SPARTAN fight would go. As you can see, not very well for the SPARTAN. Not to mention Haki is one of Salem's top fighters, her equivalent to Tyrian really. She's a very strong and capable fighter, so what she's capable of doing isn't necessarily evocative of other Huntsmen and Huntresses. So, the fight being this tough for the SPARTANs was on purpose, as it helped me convey what I wanted to convey as well as keep the tension for you guys. If I made it obvious who was going to win from the get go, things get boring.

I mean, it was four canon characters against an OC, so with that in mind it was fairly obvious who was going to win, but I can't write the scenes like that. Know what I mean?

Glad to hear, though, that you like how it wasn't a curbstomp. That is something I don't want to do in my stories, unless the plot directly demands said curbstomp. I'm not going to do a curbstomp for the sake of a curbstomp. I'm also proud of how I was able to convey Haki's backstory without it taking away from the flow of the chapter.

**Vein Bloodborne:** You'll have to wait and see. This goes for everyone, but try to refrain from questions pertaining to things that may or may not happen in the future of this story. I can't answer those as they would be spoilers. I can answer clarification questions as to what has already been explicitly revealed as well as my thought process behind something.

Also yes, I did base Haki Felt off of the Mad Hatter, which was where her weapon, Semblance, personality, and overall appearance came from.

**onearmedduck:** Glad to hear that I'm a legend, apparently. As for that, you'll have to wait and see.

**axel100:** That it is. Power scaling is always very tricky for a story, and if done incorrectly it can ruin the entire thing. I like to think, though, that I'm doing it in this and my other stories in a believable fashion that both respects the source materials as well as maintain narrative tension.

**Rebiele:** Yep, this is a hobby for me. I do want to actually write and publish my own original work someday, but right now I'm doing this for fun and my enjoyment. You guys enjoying my work is an added bonus.

**Iron117Prime:** Thank you. I'm glad you liked the fight. We put a lot of work into it, and we wanted to make sure that it was something you guys would all readily enjoy.

**Mkchief34:** You're going to have to wait for that, as Qrow could only see them and give a report afterwards. At the moment, the SPARTANs are still highly classified.

**thetyrant67:** I'm happy to hear that. As for the Covenant's reaction, let's just say that the collective energy of the UNSC's cathartis would be able to power a Death Star.

**Knighthunter911700:** Remember, no one in the UNSC has ever really encountered Aura before. They had no idea the true level of enhancements that it offered. They thought it, at most, made them SPARTAN level, but they grossly underestimated what it could do. As for Blue Team's tactics, they were under orders to bring her in alive for interrogation. They didn't want to risk actually hurting or killing her if they could help it, which is why they revealed themselves after surrounding her. Also, using a Spartan Laser to dismember her is far too overkill and outright barbaric, which the SPARTANs have never done. That's something a Brute would do, not a SPARTAN. I'm pretty sure not an even an Elite would do that.

Also, in regards to the 6 km fall, that was with the MJOLNIR Mk. VI armor. Blue Team is wearing the Mk. IV, which is not as strong or durable. Plus, Chief was using a piece of the Dreadnaught's hull as a heat shield. It wasn't like he endured atmospheric reentry all by himself. Was it still badass and awesome? Absolutely, but keep in mind that Huntsmen and Huntresses are bullshit, too.

**TheLastSterling:** That random maniac was one of Salem's top subordinates, so she was quite capable of giving Blue Team a run for their money. Besides, her being so crazy was actually an advantage at first as it kept Blue Team from really knowing how she was going to react.

**Falloutman111: **They could, but they don't want to, so that isn't going to happen.

**chidoriprime: **Yep, as Halsey pointed out, Remnant doesn't really have a choice. It's only a matter of time before Remnant is found by the Covenant, and if both sides want to survive against the Covenant, they have to work together.

**SulliMike23: **"Haki" came from khaki, while "Felt" came from the felt material used by hatters in the 19th century to make hats. Felt that they cured using mercury, which unfortunately poisoned them and made them go insane.

**Steelrain66: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapter. And yeah, Qrow as originally planning on stepping in, but he was able to see that the SPARTANs didn't need help so he didn't. Instead, he sat back and watched, ready to jump in if needed but that wasn't required of him. As for both sides being suspicious of each other, that is definitely the case. But, on the UNSC's perspective, they have bigger things to worry about at the moment.

**shados960: **Glad to hear it. You can definitely assume that the Halsey/Ozpin relationship will be an important one to explore in the future. A game of poker is an apt comparison to their relationship, actually.

**The Avenging Titan: **Yeah, that happens a lot in _Halo_ stories. It's something I wanted to avoid here. Yes, SPARTANs are badasses, but they're not invincible. They're still mortal, and they themselves understand that better than anyone. That's going to be a major theme regarding the SPARTANs, how they're more than what they seem to outside observers. Glad you liked the interaction between Halsey and Ozpin. You can expect more of that in the future.

That's it for this chapter, but before I go I have an announcement. I will be starting a new story fairly soon. The first chapter has already been written and is in the process of editing. I hope to have it posted soon. Like the rest of my work, it is a crossover, this time between Familiar of Zero (a setting I have experience in exploring thanks to my crossover _Outsiders_, where Louise goes to Kalos and becomes a Pokemon Trainer) and a new setting for me, Resident Evil. As you can imagine, this will be a horror/action story as Louise and Saito have to survive Raccoon City. It's going to be fun, and I hope you guys give it a look.

See you all next time and I hope you enjoy! Let us know what you think!


	13. Instrument of the Gods

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 12: Instrument of the Gods**

[~][~]

_HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6_

_Sydney, Australia, Earth, Sol System_

_January 10__th__, 2541, 13:51 Hours (UNSC Military Calendar)_

As Vice Admiral Preston Cole expected, the probes detailing what he and the crew of the _Everest _had experienced while at Remnant had reached High Command before he arrived back at Earth. Almost as soon as the _Everest_ left Slipspace, he was hailed by HIGHCOM and ordered to report directly as soon as possible. Having not only expected this response but also prepared for it, Cole had Hannibal direct the _Everest_ to the nearest available repair station while he and a compliment of ODSTs serving as a security detail got onto a Pelican that flew straight towards High Command's headquarters in Sydney, Australia. His dropship was escorted by a flight of C712 Longsword fighters, making it apparent that no one was to interfere with his flight path. Either any outside interlopers, or Cole himself.

Cole had no intention of deviating. Rather, the information he was about to share was far too important to leave at the table. After all, it wasn't every day that the UNSC finally came across something that had the potential to turn the war in their favor. As much as Cole didn't want to bring the people of Remnant into a war that, by all accounts, shouldn't involve them, he knew none of them had a choice. Either Remnant would work with the UNSC in stopping the Covenant, or they would all perish.

It was times like this that made Cole sigh tiredly and rub his forehead. He had been leading the UNSC war effort against the Covenant from the beginning, and even after almost sixteen years, they were no closer to winning now than they were on day one. In fact, just the opposite occurred. With each and every passing day, the Covenant was inching closer and closer to victory, and with it humanity's utter annihilation. Cole wanted nothing more than for this to just end, to let him live out the rest of his days in peace, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. Not when humanity still needed him, and especially not when they finally found something that might save them.

When the Pelican entered the Earth's atmosphere, Cole's thoughts were broken as the turbulence of reentry rocked the vessel. Cole wasn't phased in the slightest, and neither were the ODSTs. If anything, the soldiers were amused. All of them had long since grown used to reentry, and had experienced far worse before. After a few minutes, the turbulence ceased, and Cole felt weight return to him as the force of gravity reasserted itself. There weren't any viewports and the cockpit was sealed shut, so Cole wasn't able to see what was going on around them. That suited him just fine, as the lack of distractions allowed him to collect his thoughts.

Even now, the revelations at Remnant seemed insane to him. If he could hardly believe it, how would HIGHCOM react? More importantly, what would they do when they got this information? Cole knew that whatever they chose to do, it would be perhaps the most important decision in Remnant's entire history, a decision they had no voice in. Cole already recognized the inherent injustice of it, but the choice had to be made.

Finally, the Pelican touched down on one of the landing pads at HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6. Cole had already risen from his seat as the drop-bay doors opened, revealing a cadre of UNSC military police, wearing their trademark bubble helmets and light blue BDUs, waiting for him. They all saluted as soon as he stepped off, then they escorted Admiral Cole towards his destination while the ODSTs who had accompanied him were ushered elsewhere. As they entered the facility, Cole was greeted by UNSC personnel working at their stations, collecting field reports for the Admiralty so that proper decisions could be made. Everyone he passed stopped to salute him, but Cole didn't so much as pause as he continued briskly walking to his destination. As he reached the conference room, he adjusted his collar and sleeves, making sure they were as neat as possible. Then, as he walked to the door, the MPs escorting him stopped and the pair guarding the door let him proceed alone through the automatic door, which closed behind him.

Cole was immediately greeted by the stern and expectant faces of the UNSC Security Council, all sitting along a crescent-shaped table and dressed in their uniforms. Each one represented a different branch of the UNSC military, all coordinating together to ensure maximum cohesion in their fights against the Insurrection and now the Covenant. Gathered in this room were perhaps the most powerful individuals in human history, and all of them were waiting on Cole.

"Admiral, glad you could join us," Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the Commander-in-Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence, greeted him first, her slight build and elderly appearance doing nothing to hide the ice-cold ruthlessness and calculation behind her eyes. With her hands pressed together in front her face, she gestured towards the empty chair at the end of the table and remarked, "Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss."

Cole nodded, then took his seat at the end of the table. The rest of the security council turned to face him, and all were giving him their utmost attention. Clearing his throat, Cole stated, "By now, I'm sure you've read the reports."

"Yes, and we have questions," Colonel James Ackerson replied, leaning against the table and furrowing his gaze towards Admiral Cole. "Forgive me if I find the reports hard to believe, Admiral. Another population of humans? Ones who weren't connected to our colonization efforts and had lived on that planet for thousands of years? Humans with…" Ackerson paused to look over a data pad again, and he raised his eyebrow, "_superpowers_?"

"It's a lot to take in, I know. I was _there_ and I still find it hard to believe," Cole admitted. "But the Grimm, Aura, Semblances, Dust. All of it is true despite flying in the face of _everything_ we know."

"That is putting it lightly," Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth declared. He then sighed and gestured towards the data pad in front of him while saying, "Still, it's hard to argue against the data provided."

"How do we know it's not a fabrication?" Major General Strauss asked, and Ackerson nodded in agreement.

"That data was collected by the _Everest_'s Smart AI, Hannibal, and further added to by Doctor Catherine Halsey," Admiral Cole answered. He saw Parangosky's face briefly frown at the mention of her name, but it quickly passed and returned to its normal passiveness. "Not to mention I witnessed it firsthand. One of the delegates was able to lift a hundred-kilogram wooden table without so much as lifting a finger, and another turned it into _gold_. We took that table afterwards for analysis and confirmed it."

Already the data pads were showing the feed in question, as well as video feeds of the other Huntsmen and Huntresses as they fought the Grimm with UNSC marines. The Admiralty was studying the data with narrowed eyes, clearly wanting to disbelieve what they were seeing but unable to. Finally, they all looked away from their devices to look at Cole once again, and Parangosky propped her elbows up onto the table and brought her hands together.

"SPARTAN Blue Team fought one of these Huntresses, correct?" she asked, and when Cole nodded, she added, "Then, tell me: how was it that four of the most highly trained military assets the UNSC has on hand struggled so much against a single woman suffering from schizophrenia? Even with the supposed benefits Aura provides, they shouldn't have had that much of an issue, much less almost getting killed."

From the corner of his eye, Cole saw Ackerson smirk at that bit of information. He knew why. ONI's liaison to the UNSC Security Council had never liked Doctor Halsey and relished any and all chances to humiliate her. Ackerson likely viewed the SPARTAN-IIs' near death as an example of how Halsey wasn't as good as she made herself out to be. Of course, he always seemed to forget that without Halsey's SPARTANs, it was likely they wouldn't be having this conversation to begin with. The others didn't, which only made him hate her more.

Regardless, Cole shifted his attention towards Parangosky and said, "It was a combination of different variables. For one, SPARTAN Blue Team was operating under do-not-kill mission parameters. We had hoped to capture Haki Felt for interrogation, which gave the SPARTANs a handicap that Haki ruthlessly exploited. In addition, we underestimated the degree of augmentation that Aura naturally provided. Instead of bringing an individual to, at most, SPARTAN-levels of strength as we believed, her Aura made her far stronger and more durable."

"I see," Admiral Stanforth hummed and rubbed his chin. Already he was pondering the implications, then he asked, "Can this Aura be replicated?"

"Among the people of Remnant? Yes," Cole immediately answered. "Unfortunately, our own soldiers are unable to acquire those same abilities."

"Yes, the case of Sergeant Graves." General Strauss nodded, rubbing his fingers together. "Do you think its possible to give our soldiers Aura?"

"Maybe. According to Remnant's delegation, Aura comes from the…soul," Cole revealed, and he could already see the members of the Security Council roll their eyes but he kept going. "While I don't necessarily believe that, I do believe them when they say that they tried and felt something within Sergeant Graves. He himself admitted that when they tried again when he was awake, he felt a tingling sensation around his body, as though something wanted to come out but was unable to."

"So you believe there is a possibility?" Stanforth asked, and Cole nodded.

"Yes, but doing so might take years of research, if not decades," Cole admitted, and Ackerson frowned.

"We don't _have_ decades," Ackerson pointed out. "What use is giving our soldiers Aura if it takes twenty years to do it? The Covenant will have won by then."

Cole nodded, then replied, "I agree, which is why I think a more prudent and immediate response should be attempting to coopt what Remnant can do for our war-effort."

The room was quiet for a moment, then Parangosky narrowed her eyes and said, "You want to bring them in."

"'Want' has nothing to do with it," Cole clarified. "After everything I've seen, I am convinced that if either of us are to live through this, Remnant and the UNSC _need_ each other. Otherwise we all die."

Once again everyone was quiet as they pondered his words. Then, one by one, they nodded in agreement. Most likely they had already come to that decision, and the discussion thus far had merely been a formality. Cole was fine with that, especially if it expedited the entire process. But now came the actual, and thus more difficult discussion.

"How do you propose we do that, then?" Admiral Stanforth asked, cocking his head slightly.

"To me, it's obvious," Ackerson offered. "The people of Remnant are, for all intents and purposes, human. Even if they have superpowers and some of them have animal parts. Since they are human, they fall under jurisdiction of the UEG, and thus need to be brought in line."

"You want us to invade them after a peaceful first contact?" Admiral Stanforth asked, clearly offended at the insinuation, but Ackerson merely shot him a harsh glare.

"What I _want _is to ensure that Remnant doesn't inadvertently serve to help the Insurrection," Ackerson clarified. "Despite the fact that humanity is fighting the Covenant for our right to exist, the Insurrection is still ongoing. It may be underground now, and most of the Insurrection saw reason and joined the UNSC's war effort, but the ones left are the truly fanatical. They'll look at Remnant and see ultimate justification as to what they want, and they'll be emboldened to lash out. By bringing Remnant under the jurisdiction of the UNSC, preferably peacefully but by force if necessary, we can prevent that from happening."

"You know as well as I do that doesn't have any legal standing," Cole pointed out. "Had Remnant been a lost colony, we would have well been in our rights to do as you suggest. But they're not. By all accounts, they've been there for thousands of years. They are a sovereign planet wholly independent of the UEG."

"The Insurrectionists won't care," Ackerson shot back. "Those who are left don't care that the Covenant is at war with all of humanity, not just the UNSC, and they won't care that Remnant has been on its own for millennia. Besides, they may be stronger than us physically, but if there's one thing that the Covenant have taught us, it's that orbital supremacy beats anything on the ground. According to the data _you_ gathered, they don't have any orbital presence whatsoever. They can't even go beyond their atmosphere, so if we were to bring them in line, there isn't anything they could do to stop us."

Cole clenched his fist and his jaw in anger. But, at the same time, he had to admit that Ackerson did have somewhat of a point. The Insurrection was, indeed, still active, albeit at a much reduced capacity. If they found out about Remnant, many of them would see it as justification and use the planet as a rallying cry. If the Insurrection were to pick back up in force, it would spell disaster for the UNSC's war effort.

But there were several key details that Ackerson was missing, and he was more than happy to point them out. "You're forgetting that the purpose of bringing Remnant into the war is to preserve what they can do for our own use. Not just their Aura and Dust, but their infrastructure. Manufacturing, agriculture, not to mention their Huntsmen and Huntresses. An infrastructure that is far more valuable intact than in ruins. You say, Ackerson, that we should learn from the Covenant and threaten them from orbit. The problem with that is that the Covenant are only able to do that because they are in a war of annihilation, _not_ occupation. They can glass our worlds with reckless abandon and little regard for long-lasting collateral damage, whereas an annexation of Remnant wouldn't give us that luxury.

"Not only that, everything we want out of Remnant is hyper-concentrated in four supermassive cities. Cities that are the most heavily defended areas on the entire planet. If, as you say, we try to bombard those cities from orbit, all we would accomplish is destroying the very resources and infrastructure we want. At most, all we could do with our orbital supremacy is using it as a threatening bluff. Were Remnant to respond to this blatant, unjustified hostility with anything other than immediate surrender, we would be forced to subjugate them in a more traditional military campaign. We'd be throwing our soldiers against their Huntsmen and Huntresses, who are the main reason why we want Remnant on our side."

Cole looked around the room. He saw that Ackerson was growing more and more infuriated as Cole continued to tear apart his argument, while Stanforth nodded along in agreement. General Strauss was glancing between Ackerson and Cole, trying to decide which side he laid on, while Parangosky remained as impassive as ever. Seeing how no one was speaking up at the moment, Cole continued.

"Speaking of the Huntsmen and Huntresses, as the fight between Haki Felt and Blue Team showed, properly trained and experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses have the capability of being stronger than SPARTAN-IIs. More than that, Remnant has managed to turn their creation into an _industry_." He raised the palm of his hand in emphasis. "Let's compare them to the SPARTANs. It took us eight years to train the first class from 2517 to 2525, resulting in a class of seventy-five SPARTAN-IIs. Of those trainees, thirty died during the augmentations and an additional twelve washed out, in the end leaving only thirty-three active SPARTANs. Then we have the SPARTAN-III Alpha Company, in which 497 conscripts were trained over the course of five years from 2531 to 2536, resulting in 300 graduating. Nearly all of whom are now dead as a result of Operation: PROMETHIUS."

"For the record, Beta Company has been learning from the mistakes of Alpha Company and we expect another batch of 300 SPARTAN-IIIs to complete their training within the next year," Ackerson added, and Cole nodded.

"Thank you, Colonel. Regardless, the point stands. In the past twenty-three years since the SPARTAN Program was initiated, including the upcoming graduation of Beta Company, we have successfully trained and fielded 633 SPARTANs. An impressive number, to be sure, and a number that has paid dividends, but let's shift our attention to Remnant. According to the delegation, which was led by Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, Huntsmen and Huntresses on average train for eight years before graduation. Four years at one of many combat schools, and four years at one of the four huntsmen academies. Those academies being Atlas Academy, Beacon Academy, Haven Academy, and Shade Academy. Only considering those four institutions, each one has a class of, on average, 100 students each year. Every year, a combined 400 Huntsmen and Huntresses enter the field without fail, and if you multiply that by the amount of time it took us to train 633 SPARTANs, Remnant would have trained _9,200_."

Cole shot a glare towards Ackerson, and remarked, "If we do as you suggest and invade Remnant, you risk shutting that entire industry down. The training of Huntsmen and Huntresses would be ground to a screeching halt, and it might take years to build it back up. Not only that, assuming we managed to conquer the planet without utterly destroying their infrastructure, the UNSC would be forced to deploy a prohibitively large occupying force pulled _away_ from fighting the Covenant in order to exert our will as well as combat the Grimm. Which, might I add, are attracted to negative emotions."

Cole's guilt regarding his actions upon the arrival to Remnant had only increased when that information was shared. It had become obvious that his overabundance of caution had caused Remnant to drown in a sea of anxiety and fear, which resulted in a massive amount of Grimm attacks that killed countless people. While the Remnant delegation had assured him that he and the _Everest_ were forgiven, the guilt still remained.

He then added, "Assuming that everything goes without a hitch, and we successfully annex the planet without destroying what we want, we have the issue of trying to get Remnant's Huntsmen and Huntresses to actually work for us rather than fighting against us. We would no longer be potential partners, we'd be their hated enemy. The only way we could get Huntsmen and Huntresses to fight for us, en mass, is for us to practically enslave them, and I don't think I need to elaborate how foolish it would be to try and use them as special forces in highly delicate and important operations."

The conference room was silent and tense as both Ackerson and Cole glared at each other. Their fists were clenched, although Admiral Cole was noticeably more composed.

"The point is, Colonel," Admiral Cole then declared, his tone final, "attempting to invade and occupy Remnant is not only a costly decision, it is the wrong one. I agree that Remnant needs to be brought into the fold, but it should not be a subordinate. Remnant should be an ally."

Ackerson glared at Admiral Cole, who glared right back. The other members of the Security Council were shifting their attention between the two men. Right away, Cole could see that Admiral Stanforth agreed with his assessment, while General Strauss was agreeing with Ackerson's. Whether that was due to legitimately believing in what Ackerson was saying or if he was simply intimidated by the man, Cole did not know. But it was clear that the tie-breaking vote now belonged to Parangosky. As she scrunched up her face, deep in thought, Cole wondered which direction she might go, and part of him was worried.

Then she looked up at him and declared, "I agree with Vice Admiral Cole. Attempting to occupy Remnant would be a waste of time, manpower, and resources, and we stand to gain more through a mutual alliance than outright subjugation. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar, after all. Am I correct in assuming that Remnant does not know about the Covenant?"

"You'd be correct," Admiral Cole said, a relieved smile on his face while Ackerson frowned and clenched his fist. "At the moment, they're still convinced that the Grimm are their greatest threat."

"They'd be wrong, but that does give us an opportunity," Parangosky admitted, then narrowed her eyes. "Gentlemen, we have much to discuss, and time is of the essence. I recommend that as soon as the _Everest _is repaired you return to Remnant, Admiral."

"I was already planning on doing that," Cole admitted, then he asked, "Would I be authorized to inform them of the Covenant?"

"I don't see how you'd be able to convince them of their threat otherwise," Parangosky admitted.

Admiral Cole and the other members of the UNSC Security Council nodded, then they settled into a long discussion on how a prospective UNSC-Remnant alliance would work. Although they were only at the very beginning of this process, Cole felt that perhaps there was a chance, however slight, that this might finally be able to turn things around for them.

* * *

_Atlas Academy_

_Kingdom of Atlas, Solitas, Remnant, Oum System_

_February 12__th__, 70 AGW, 5:00 PM (Remnant Calendar)_

It had been nearly two months since the First Contact Summit on Vytal Island, and by now the planet was beginning to adjust to their new reality. People were no longer frightened or nervous when they saw a UNSC warship overhead. Instead, excitingly observing it through telescopes had become the more popular pastime. The UNSC had also started larger efforts to ingratiate themselves with the people of Remnant, aiding villages in need against the Grimm as well as bandits who had hoped to take advantage of the chaos.

Much to General Ironwood's pleasure, the UNSC was very experienced when it came to dealing with them, much more so than the Grimm. That experience most likely came from dealing with their Insurrectionists, with the only difference being the bandits having Aura. All four Kingdoms and the UNSC had coordinated nearly half-a-dozen operations against bandit clans all across the world. With Atlas, it was through a cooperation between two militaries, while the other Kingdoms provided Huntsmen and Huntresses. Understandably, the cooperation between the UNSC and Atlas was far smoother, although he'd heard the missions involving Huntsmen and Huntresses were usually more…exciting than his own forces.

Of course, General Ironwood had a much more direct interaction with the UNSC right on his doorstep. Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey had elected to stay behind on Remnant in order to facilitate scientific cooperation between the kingdoms and the UNSC. She mostly stayed in Atlas, but more often than not she was travelling all over the world, communicating with top scientists over a myriad array of subjects. Already they had learned much, if only a preliminary understanding. Halsey herself had been expanding her knowledge of Dust and Aura, and Ironwood got the feeling her drive to do so came from more than just an attempt to replicate it for their own forces. From Halsey, Remnant had begun to understand the inner workings of AI theory as well as Slipspace and alternate forms of energy, including nuclear fusion.

Ironwood and everyone else on Remnant knew the latter two contained the keys to finally escaping their dependence on Dust and, eventually, the confines of their world. They could start colonizing other planets or simply create massive space stations to live in. Either would be well out of reach from the Grimm, leaving them completely behind. The end of humanity's never-ending war with the Grimm was finally in sight. It was a salivating prospect, but one decades off, at least. With the former, however, General Ironwood was thinking much closer to home. If Atlas was able to create a Smart AI, or even just a Dumb AI, he knew it could be combined with Atlas' robotics technology. AI controlled robotic armies could march against the Grimm, holding them at bay without ever needing to sacrifice a human life.

There was one major flaw to his idea, however, which was why he was walking towards Doctor Halsey's lab at Atlas Academy, one she shared with Doctor Polendina's team. By the time he arrived, she and the other scientists were deep in discussion, only part of which he completely understood.

"Slipstream space is far more complex than what you're making it out to be, Doctor Watts," Halsey explained as the other scientists gathered around her. A whiteboard behind her was covered from top to bottom with long, complex mathematical equations, one of which she was finishing as she spoke. "What you were describing was a wormhole, where you fold space and punch a hole through the other side. Slipstream is more akin to taking a piece of paper and crumpling it up into a ball. This has the effect of both shortening the distance between two points but also creating far more complexity. There are several of our colonies that, in real-space, were closer to others but it took relatively longer to reach them through Slipspace simply due to how it worked."

"How is that even possible?" Doctor Polendina asked, while Watts merely grumbled and crossed his arms along his chest.

"We're not entirely certain, but we believe it has to do with the fact that Slipspace has eleven dimensions versus our four-dimensional reality. They don't exactly match up one-to-one," she admitted.

"Fascinating," Polendina muttered, typing notes into his tablet.

"Are you certain it's not due to the fact that your Shaw-Fujikawa drives brute force their way into slipstream?" Doctor Watts rudely suggested.

"Oh, that is most certainly another reason," she immediately replied. "But that affects accuracy, not necessarily travel time. How long it takes for something to travel through Slipspace is dependent on how powerful their thrusters are."

It was then that Doctor Halsey turned to face General Ironwood. It was apparent that she had noticed his arrival earlier, but only now chose to acknowledge his presence. Her shift in attention prompted the other scientists to turn to see what she was looking at, and Doctor Polendina immediately stood up to greet him.

"Ah, General Ironwood! I'm surprised to see you here," Doctor Polendina admitted, and the general shrugged.

"Just had a few questions of my own," he declared, and Halsey immediately understood where he was going.

"I assume it's in regard to your earlier inquiry?" she asked. When General Ironwood nodded, she added, "Then yes, theoretically it should be possible. The UNSC never focused on the idea of robotic infantry in favor of human soldiers."

"Seems like a bit of a lost opportunity, in my opinion," Doctor Watts stated.

"You try creating an android capable of surviving hundreds of different planetary environments and ecosystems," Halsey shot back, not even giving Watts a passing glance. "It was cheaper for us to simply equip our soldiers accordingly, and with advancements in gene therapy over the centuries, the human body has proven to be quite adaptable. That being said, Atlas' robotics technology is far ahead of what we currently field."

"Among other things," Watts muttered, once again referring to the seemingly primitive UNSC weapons.

"Once again, the UNSC prioritized cost and the ability to work across all of our colonies and their unique environments," she reiterated. "We may use a 600-year-old round, yes, but it's cheap, easy to transport, and effective. It's easy to say something may be better but much more difficult to actually prove it.

"But we are getting off-topic." Halsey furrowed her brow towards General Ironwood then said, "AI-controlled armies does have merit, yes. But, given the state of Remnant's highly-centralized infrastructure, at most I'd imagine that they'd only be used in a defensive capacity. If you're hoping to use them to reclaim lost territory, that might be out of reach at the moment."

"I understand that," General Ironwood admitted, "but I'm more concerned about…what did you call it, Rampancy?"

"Ah, yes. That is a concern, and another reason why we never developed AI-controlled robotic armies," Halsey explained. "Dumb AIs could operate the drones indefinitely, but their capabilities would be significantly reduced. They'll only be able to do what they were programmed to do, unable to learn or expand their capabilities. Once the Grimm discovered how to overcome the Dumb AI's limitations, they'd run circles around it. Smart AIs would be infinitely more effective, but only for seven years at most."

"Because of Rampancy?"

"Yes. A core feature of Smart AIs is their ability to grow and expand their knowledge base. Much like the human brain they are based off of, they can learn. But they only have so much space to grow in their Riemann Matrix. As they develop, they create more synaptic connections within the matrix, and eventually those connections grow too dense and they begin to overlap, causing a short-circuit. An AI can attempt to preserve itself by cutting away at those connections, but as Rampancy continues to develop, the choices the AI makes grow increasingly erratic and poor, eventually causing the entire construct to collapse. An AI undergoing Rampancy thinks so hard that the brain forgets to send signals to the heart and lungs. They think themselves to death."

"And in the process, might take others down with them," Ironwood suggested, and Halsey nodded.

"Rampant AIs often act uncontrollably and sometimes violently. Out of an abundance of caution, all Smart AIs undergo final dispensation after seven years. If you were to give a Smart AI control over a robotic army, and said AI were to become rampant…"

Halsey left the likely outcome open-ended, but everyone knew where she was going. Ironwood had to admit, the idea of Atlesian Knights turning on everyone was a chilling one, and he supposed that possibility was the true reason why the UNSC never developed that technology. At the same time, though, he found it nearly impossible to fully let go of the idea. It was risky, but if it worked, it could bring unheard of levels of safety and security to his people.

"I understand those concerns, but I still feel as though it's an avenue worth exploring," he insisted, and Halsey nodded.

"Just so long as we don't jump straight into the deep end," she suggested, and Ironwood nodded.

That was the thing with her, he thought. Even after knowing her for only two months, Ironwood was able to get a grasp of who Catherine Halsey was. She was utterly brilliant, perhaps the smartest person he had ever met, and she certainly had the arrogance and pride to accompany it. Unlike Watts, however, who always felt the need to throw his 'superiority' around, Halsey did no such thing. She, and by now everyone else, already knew what she was capable of, and she felt no need to shove it in everyone's faces. That meant she was much easier to have a working relationship with. It was an opinion that Ironwood shared with Doctor Polendina, and the two of them would talk for hours over different topics. One in particular that kept being brought up was the idea of merging robotics with Aura, and Halsey had already thought of ways to combine AI theory into it.

Her relationship with Watts, however, was much more arduous. The two did not like each other, at all. Halsey felt Watts was, in her own words during their private discussions, a know-it-all buffoon who was too self-absorbed to see past his own nose. A sentiment Ironwood readily agreed with, and Watts did not appreciate being repeatedly shown that, when compared to her, he was far from being superior. All the more reason why the general liked her. Anyone who could effortlessly put that insufferable man in his place was worth getting to know, in his opinion.

"Yes, I suppose that would be wise," Ironwood admitted, and Halsey nodded.

"By the way, congratulations on your new position as Headmaster of Atlas, General," Halsey announced, and Ironwood felt himself straighten more.

"Yes, I am…honored that I was selected for the position," he replied, folding his arms behind his back.

The process had started after the conclusion of the First Contact Summit. Apparently, the reason why the previous Headmaster of Atlas hadn't come was due to him and the other headmasters eyeing Ironwood for the position for some time. The summit was simply a chance to test him, a test he had passed. After that, the previous Headmaster announced his resignation with Ironwood as his successor, and only recently had the title formally passed onto him.

"Atlas certainly trusts you enough for the position," Halsey added, placing a dry erase marker on the whiteboard's shelf, then narrowed her eyes slightly at Ironwood. "Enough to keep both of your seats on the council, at that."

"Given the threats we face, I felt it was more prudent to keep both of my positions," Ironwood said, his voice firm.

"What threats might that be?" Halsey asked, unflinching as Ironwood's steel firm gaze peeled into her own.

"The Grimm, of course," Ironwood assured.

Halsey remained still as she stared at him, which reminded Ironwood of another facet of their relationship. While they were able to work together quite easily, that wasn't to say it was without tension. When he had become Headmaster, Ironwood had been made aware of something long hidden from the rest of the world. That awareness was why he kept both seats, a decision that the other Headmasters, who were also part of this conspiracy, were uneasy about. But, since the kingdom of Atlas trusted him wholeheartedly, there was little they could do but grumble. By now, it was obvious that Doctor Halsey suspected that something deeper was going on, and she wasn't fooled by his or others' declarations to the contrary. At the same time, Ironwood was also made aware of key details that the UNSC wanted hidden from Remnant. Namely, whatever this "Covenant" that they were fighting was as well as the four super soldiers that had taken down Haki Felt. It created a cloud of suspicion that hung over both of them, and Ironwood doubted it would go away anytime soon.

It was then that he got a notification on his scroll, and he pulled it out and held the device to his ear. "This is General Ironwood. Report."

"_Sir, we picked up something coming out of Slipspace,_" a technician reported. "_It's the _Everest_, along with a small escort fleet. They're broadcasting an open message to the Kingdoms announcing their arrival along with UEG diplomats._"

"Ah, perfect," Ironwood replied. "Tell the Council I'll be there immediately."

"_There's something else though, sir. A message underneath the open one addressed specifically to you. It's not letting me open it._"

Ironwood narrowed his eyes then glanced at Halsey. She was staring passively at him while the other scientists looked confused. Slowly, Ironwood looked away then ordered, "Send it to my office. I'll look at it myself."

"_Right away, sir,_" the technician replied.

Ironwood hung up and pocketed his scroll, then turned around to the scientists and remarked, "Apologies, but something has come up. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this short."

"As do I," Halsey added, swiping away at her own tablet. "Admiral Cole has requested I return to the _Everest_. Pietro, we'll continue our discussion on your project later."

"Of course. Thank you, Catherine," Pietro replied though a warm smile.

Halsey nodded, then walked out of the laboratory towards one of Atlas' many landing pads. Ironwood walked after her before splitting off towards his private office at the top of Atlas Academy. As he walked through the halls, soldiers stopped to salute and he nodded back while continuing his stride, all the while a sinking feeling filled his gut. He didn't know what this hidden message was about, but his instincts were screaming at him that he wasn't going to like it.

* * *

Professor Ozpin furrowed his brow as he looked out the Bullhead's windows. Alongside him was only Glynda Goodwitch, with everyone else remaining back in Vale to talk with the UEG's diplomats. Ever since the _Everest_ left the Oum System, he had expected the UNSC to return with actual diplomats. His expectations were met after only two months, which should have been the first clue that something was going on. He had expected it to take at least another month, but at first he had assumed he had underestimated the UNSC's FTL capabilities. Ozpin still didn't quite understand Slipspace. The only person on Remnant who did was Doctor Halsey, and he didn't particularly like speaking to her longer than he had to. Both because of a lingering sense of distrust between them and the fact that she sounded so much like someone he once knew. The latter was a very petty reason, Ozpin recognized, but it remained, nonetheless.

Then, as soon as the UNSC fleet began broadcasting openly to the rest of the kingdoms, Ozpin received a second message hidden underneath the first. It was addressed only to him, and as far as he could see, no one else on Vale's council received a similar message. Ozpin had opened it almost immediately, and the message's content raised his concern to astronomical levels. It had been a communication from Admiral Cole himself, requesting that the headmasters of all four Huntsmen Academies, along with the chieftain of Menagerie, come with the UNSC for a private meeting onboard the _Everest_. They were allowed to bring one person with them, but no one else. Secrecy was of the utmost concern with this meeting.

Ozpin recognized the hidden signs underneath the message. The fact that only the headmasters received it, along with Ghira Belladonna, told him that this was a wholly military matter, or that the UNSC had picked up on who were truly the centers of power in Remnant. He wondered if the ever-observant Halsey had notified them of that. More importantly, the secrecy told Ozpin that whatever the UNSC was about to tell them, they did not want the rest of Remnant to know just yet. Why that was the case, Ozpin did not know, but he had a sinking feeling it had to do with the fact that the information the UNSC was about to share would otherwise cause a panic.

That only left one option, which Glynda and the other headmasters immediately recognized. The UNSC was about to tell them what the Covenant was, and was most likely going to ask for their aid.

"Ozpin, are you sure accepting this is wise?" Glynda asked in a low whisper, and Ozpin shook his head.

"Honestly, I don't know. Even after two months, this is still quite new to me," Ozpin admitted, bringing his hands together while resting his elbows on his thighs and leaning forward.

"But if they want to pull us into a war…" Glynda replied, and Ozpin steeled his gaze.

"I won't let Remnant be drawn into a war unless it is absolutely necessary," he declared.

Glynda didn't seem completely satisfied with that answer, but she accepted it regardless. They fell back into an uncomfortable silence, waiting for the Bullhead to arrive at their destination. Finally, after hours of flight, they arrived at Vytal Island. It was the exact same spot where the First Contact Summit had transpired, and for the moment it was utterly deserted. The kingdoms had decided once the summit had ended that it would be set aside to serve as the construction site of the UNSC's embassy alongside a monument to commemorate the event. So far, no actual progress had been made in actually building it, but they expected to begin construction within the next six months.

The Bullhead touched down, and Ozpin and Glynda stepped off. They then instructed the pilot to depart, who did so without question. They were the first to arrive, but they weren't alone for long as they soon saw an Atlesian Manta approach their position from the north. From the west came a Vacuoan airship, and from the east came a Mistralian airship. They all touched down at roughly the same time, depositing their passengers before departing. Only Professor Lionheart was alone while the others had elected to bring someone along. General Ironwood had brought Doctor Polendina along with him, while Professor Theodore brought Professor Rumpole much as Ozpin had brought Glynda. Once the White Fang's older Bullhead arrived and dropped off Ghira Belladonna, they saw that he had also brought along Sienna Kahn. Unlike the headmasters, they were completely confused.

"What's all this about?" Sienna asked as their Bullhead departed, her tone harsh and accusatory.

"We're as much in the dark about this as you, Sienna," Professor Lionheart placated, but Sienna merely narrowed her gaze at him.

"I very much doubt that," Sienna declared, pointing her finger at the others. "My gut tells me that, if nothing else, the rest of you suspect something. Mind sharing what that is?"

The air around them grew tense, but before anything could come of it, Ghira placed a calming hand on Sienna's shoulder and stepped in front of her. He said, "While her tone may be harsh, Sienna does have a point and I do share her suspicions. I must admit, thus far the UNSC has shown Menagerie and the Faunus nothing but respect since they arrived. More so than the Kingdoms, unfortunately, so I wasn't entirely surprised that the UNSC requested our presence. But what I don't understand is why Sienna and I were pulled in for a secret meeting _away_ from the UEG's diplomats. They arrived as we left, which strikes me as rather odd."

"Yes, I feel the same way. I was preparing to talk to other scientists from the UNSC when James requested I come with him," Pietro admitted, his voice low and his face warped in confusion as he glanced around at everyone.

It appeared that General Ironwood hadn't yet informed the doctor of what Ozpin had discovered. Whether that was due to him not wanting to explain things more than once, or simply deciding it was best to keep his suspicions to himself in case they were wrong, he didn't know. But, Ozpin had to admit that the White Fang's representatives had a point. He sighed and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath, then looked out at everyone.

"During the Vytal Summit," Ozpin began to softly speak, "I had one of my most trusted Huntsmen investigate a few things."

"You _spied_ on the UNSC?" Ghira asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yes, because I didn't trust them," Ozpin admitted. "I still don't, not entirely at least, but my goal was to discover what the UNSC's intentions were for Remnant. Whether they truly came in peace as they said, or not. My agent overheard UNSC marines talking among themselves about the Insurrection, which the UNSC later confirmed during our meeting."

Pietro, Ghira, and Sienna seemed to pick up where Ozpin was heading with this, and they frowned.

"I don't see how rebels warrants our attention," Sienna pointed out. "The White Fang will not intervene in a human rebellion, UNSC or otherwise."

"You and I are in complete agreement," Ozpin replied, "but I don't believe they're here to talk about the Insurrection. No, I believe that they want to talk about something else that they didn't admit to back during the summit."

"What do you mean?" Ghira asked, narrowing his eyes.

"My agent also overheard the marines talking about something called 'The Covenant,'" Ozpin explained. "We don't know what they are, but we believe the UNSC is at war with them. A war they might be losing."

Everyone stared at Ozpin silently. The only thing they heard was the faint chirping of birds in the distance alongside the chittering of insects and the rustling wind against their bodies. After a few moments, Ghira lowly asked, "So, is that what all this is about? You think they're going to try and get us into a war?"

"I don't believe there's anything else it could be," Ozpin declared.

Ghira, Sienna, and Pietro looked at the other headmasters, who nodded in agreement with Beacon's leader. With wide eyes, they looked back at Ozpin, with Pietro running his hand through his brown hair while Ghira rubbed his beard. Sienna, meanwhile, frowned and clenched her fists before looking up at the sky. Ozpin understood where her anger was coming from, but before she could explode, Ghira once again placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"While that is a concern," Ghira said, "we don't know for certain. I say we hear what they have to say. If they want to pull us into a war, they're going to have to have a convincing argument."

"I couldn't agree more," Ironwood replied and gave a nod.

"But until they say otherwise, keep our suspicions to ourselves," Ozpin instructed.

The others nodded back in agreement, then they fell into silence. They waited there for roughly half an hour, then they heard the telltale sound of a Pelican flying towards them from high altitude. They looked up and watched as the craft approached, then it slowed down and began its descent, landing a few yards away from them. The wind kicked up by the Pelican's four thrusters ruffled their hair and forced them to squint their eyes, but they otherwise remained standing. When the Pelican finally came to a rest, with its engines still running on standby, the troop bay doors opened and revealed a nearly empty bay. Only Sergeant Johnson, already standing and hopping off, was inside, and with the cockpit sealed they couldn't see who was piloting the aircraft.

"Sergeant Johnson," Professor Ozpin greeted the man, who nodded and flashed a comforting smile if only to ease the tension.

"Headmasters, General, Doctor, Chieftain," he announced to each person, then gestured with his arm for them to follow. "Hop onboard. Admiral Cole wants to speak with you guys about something urgent."

"Something that the rest of Remnant doesn't need to know about? When your fleet arrived, I thought I'd be talking to diplomats, not being pulled away for a secret meeting," Sienna accused as she stepped onto the Pelican, followed by Ghira and the rest of the delegation.

"At the moment? Probably for the best not to," Johnson replied, turning his back to Sienna as he assisted the others into their seats.

"And why is that, Sergeant?" Professor Theodore asked, having to keep his arms close so that the safety straps could be properly fastened.

Rather than reply immediately, Sergeant Johnson sighed and looked at the others with tired eyes, a far cry from the jovial expression he normally displayed. He then stated, "Trust me, you'll know why soon enough."

He sat down onto his own chair next to the sealed cockpit doors, then raised his voice and yelled, "We're good to go!"

"_Acknowledged. Alpha 122 departing now,_" the pilot announced over the intercom. "_Strap yourselves in, ladies and gentlemen. Things are about to get bumpy!_"

It was then that the realization of where they were going finally dawned onto the delegates. They were being brought to the _Everest_, which was apparently far too large to safely go in atmosphere. As such, it was forced to stay up in space, which meant _they were going to space_. Lionheart's face paled the most, alongside the other headmasters, and only Pietro seemed absolutely excited by the prospect.

They felt the Pelican lift off the ground after the bay doors sealed shut, and a tense, heavy pause followed. Sienna looked as though she was about to say something, then the Pelican accelerated faster than anything they had ever experienced before. They were thrown back into their seats, and they clutched their safety harnesses as tightly as they could. Ozpin could feel his Aura straining as the force of multiple gs slammed into his body. His face was turning red from the strain, and as he glanced around him he saw that the others were doing the same. Only Johnson was relaxed, telling Ozpin that he had done this countless times before.

Then, as the Pelican continued its climb through the atmosphere, the craft began to rock. Although Ozpin couldn't see it, he knew that they were going faster as they left the denser lower atmosphere behind. The turbulence only lasted a few minutes, but it gradually came to a stop. Once it did, the craft became eerily calm, and Ozpin took several deep breaths to calm himself.

"Gods above…" Ghira muttered under his breath as he breathed heavily.

"If you thought leaving the atmosphere was tough, try going back down," Johnson stated as he hooked off his safety harness, then began to float off his seat. Ozpin looked around, and to his amazement saw that the force of gravity had completely vanished. He felt his arms drift upward when he unclenched them, and he saw that everyone's hair was floating upwards. Admittedly, it was a humorous sight, and soon everyone was unlatching their harnesses to feel the effects of zero-g for themselves.

"Incredible!" Pietro exclaimed, and despite the seriousness of their situation, Ozpin couldn't help but agree.

"_We'll be arriving at the _Everest_ in a few minutes,_" the pilot said. "_Make sure you guys are seated when that happens. Last thing you want is to be on the roof when gravity reasserts itself._"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Johnson dismissed, flashing a group a smile to let them enjoy the effects of zero-g for just bit longer.

After a few minutes, though, he gestured for them to float back to their seats, where he helped strap back in before going back to his seat. Almost as soon as he did, they felt gravity reassert itself as they entered one of the _Everest_'s hangars. The only indication that they stopped was hearing a dull thud through the Pelican, then they heard a faint rumble as the hangar was refilled with oxygen. Only then did they hear a wailing siren going off, which soon went away as the chamber was properly pressurized.

"Alright, everyone off," Johnson announced as the bay doors opened, revealing an empty hangar.

As Ozpin and the others stepped off, they took a moment to look around. Carried on racks along the roof and in tunnels leading into the ship were other Pelicans and large fighter aircraft. If Ozpin remembered correctly, Johnson had said that UNSC fighters were called Longswords, so he assumed that's what they were. A few technicians were rushing over to their Pelican in order to conduct proper maintenance, but they left them behind to instead walk through the door they entered. Once inside, they were greeted by a pair of MPs wielding assault rifles, who escorted them and Sergeant Johnson through the _Everest_'s hallways.

Like the rest of the UNSC's designs, the ship's hallways were boxy and utilitarian. Mostly gunmetal grey, the only dashes of color were arrows pointing to different areas of the ship. Ozpin couldn't read English just yet, none of them could, and he wondered what a sealed red door led to. Eventually they came across an elevator, and they stepped inside before it ascended higher into the ship. Once it stopped, they got off as well and followed the MPs towards the bridge.

When they arrived at the bridge, Ozpin immediately noticed Doctor Halsey and Admiral Cole waiting for them at the opposite end of a holotable, but his attention wasn't focused on them. Instead, it immediately went to what he saw outside the bridge's windows, a sight that took his breath away. He could hardly feel where he was going as he slowly walked up to the window, and as he placed his hand against what he assumed was glass, he beheld for the first time the sight of Remnant, his homeworld from orbit. Alongside him, he felt the others do the same, and no one said a word.

"It's…beautiful," Ozpin whispered, feeling that was the only thing he could say.

It didn't compare to the roaring swirl of emotions inside him, and he felt as though nothing could accurately describe it. Only then did Ozpin finally realize something. He, along with everyone else with him, were the first people to see their planet from orbit. The first to leave Remnant's atmosphere and see what it all looked like at once. After fighting for such a long…long time to protect as many pieces as he could of a world he'd believed was broken, only now for the first time did he see it in its entirety.

Below, underneath thick white clouds and surrounded by pristine blue seas, he saw the greens and browns of Sanus. Vale was beginning to descend into night, and an orange glow sprang forth from the lights of the city. At the same time, he saw the blank canvas of Solitas, a single intense dot of orange light showing where Atlas was. Mistral was too far away to be seen, as with Menagerie, but he could see the western shore of Anima. And beyond all of that, past the curve of the horizon, there was simply ane infinite void of black, broken only by the scattered sparks of the stars.

"It is," he heard Admiral Cole say as he walked over to them, his hands folded behind his back.

"Thank you for…showing us this," Ozpin said, his voice sincere. Even if the UNSC's purpose of this meeting wasn't benign, he could cherish this sight for the rest of his life.

"Of course. We felt that seeing Remnant from orbit would help to put things in perspective," Cole admitted, then turned around and walked back towards the holotable. "Now, if you please, there's something else we need to show you."

Slowly, the tense feeling returned, and Ozpin tore himself away from the window to go back to the command area. The others followed his lead, and they each grabbed a chair and sat down around the holotable. Only when they were all seated did Halsey, Admiral Cole, and Sergeant Johnson take their seats, and a heavy silence fell over them.

"Now, I want to thank you all for accepting our request, especially on such short notice," Cole began. "I understand that the secrecy is concerning, but I assure you it's in Remnant's best interest."

"If it's in Remnant's best interest, couldn't we hold this discussion more openly?" Professor Ozpin asked, narrowing his gaze. Cole and Halsey returned it without flinching, and the Vice Admiral placed his gloved hands together on top of the holotable.

"If the contents of this meeting were to get out and exposed improperly, before the kingdoms were ready, the panic that ensued among your people when I arrived would seem like nothing," Cole declared. A chill went down Ozpin's spine, and as he studied Halsey's and Cole's faces, he saw that they were telling the truth.

Once again, Ozpin realized his suspicions were accurate, which was only solidified after Admiral Cole pressed a button on the table. A holographic projection of a planet went up, showing a small world dominated by a single supercontinent that dwarfed the ocean that surrounded it. It was lush and green, covered in vast grasslands, forests, lakes and streams. A single word, translated into two languages, emerged around it, and it read 'Harvest.'

"This is the planet Harvest, one of five planets in the Epsilon Indi system and the only one that was habitable," Halsey explained. "Founded in 2468, at the time Harvest was our farthest and most remote colony. Its fertile soil turned it into an attractive prospect, and it quickly became humanity's breadbasket despite having a population of only 3,000,000 people. Most of our food was grown there, and for decades it was peaceful. When the Insurrection erupted, Harvest remained relatively unaffected, although by 2524, the UNSC became concerned about a growing Insurrectionist movement that we believed was responsible for the disappearance of several merchant vessels in the area."

"A few marines and I were sent to Harvest in order to train a colonial militia ," Johnson spoke up, and a few images of him training said men and women popped up. "As more freighters disappeared, we laid a trap for what we believed were pirates or insurrectionists. What we found was neither."

A video feed popped up, showing a helmet cam courtesy of Sergeant Johnson. He and another marine were hiding behind boxes as the freighter they were on was boarded. When the boarders entered view, however, to Ozpin's and everyone else's alarm, they weren't human. Instead, they were tall, bird-like creatures wielding swords whose blades appeared to be made of plasma.

"What…_is _that?" Ghira asked, his hair on the back of his neck standing up.

"That ugly son of a bitch is a Jackal," Johnson answered, his face scowling as the video erupted into a fight as the two marines engaged the aliens with battle rifles.

One of the marines was wounded with a plasma blade, and after Johnson tended to his wounds, he chased after a fleeing Jackal. His helmet cam, recording it all, allowed Ozpin and the others to watch as Johnson entered the alien vessel. In sharp contrast to the dull utilitarianism of UNSC designs, the alien spacecraft was far more vibrant, the hallways colored in a luminous purple and pink. The hallways were rounded, appearing almost organic, and it was actually quite beautiful to look at. When Johnson caught up to the fleeing Jackal, a brief fight ensued that resulted in its death, but not before it started something that prompted Johnson to flee. The marine's helmet cam recorded as he sprinted through the ship back into the human freighter, which then pulled away as the alien vessel self-destructed violently.

"We didn't know it yet, but that was our first encounter with the Covenant," Johnson announced as a new series of images popped up onto the holotable, each one displaying a different creature.

"The Covenant?" General Ironwood asked, and Halsey looked at him.

"The Covenant, as I'm sure you suspect," Halsey began, confirming another of Ozpin's suspicions, "are a highly advanced collective of alien species, organized into castes, all unified under a single religion. A religion that worships an ancient civilization, from which they derive their entire technology that is centuries ahead of our own, called the Forerunners. They believe the Forerunners left the mortal plane behind to become gods nearly a hundred-thousand years ago. Their entire society revolves around the idea of The Great Journey, where they may follow the path of the Forerunners and becomes gods themselves. Most importantly, since 2525, we've been at war with them."

Ozpin furrowed his brow, feeling that he was beginning to piece together the puzzle. After a moment, he said, "So, this Covenant is trying to convert you to their religion, then?"

Halsey, Cole, and Johnson merely grimaced and shook their heads, and Cole declared, "They have no such interest in that, I assure you."

A sinking feeling filled Ozpin's gut, along with the rest of the headmasters'. Ironwood then leaned forward and asked, "Then why are you still at war with them after sixteen years? If they're not trying to convert you, why couldn't you have sued for peace?"

"Oh, they don't want that either," Johnson answered, crossing his arms before pointing at the picture of Harvest. "That picture of Harvest you're seeing? That was taken in December of 2524. In February of 2525, after we first encountered the Covenant at Harvest, any and all transmissions to and from the planet were cut off. That left myself and the colonial militia I had been training for only a few months completely on our own as the planet was invaded by Brutes and Grunts. Brutes are the hairy ones with big teeth while the Grunts have the gas masks, by the way."

Ozpin's eyes shot towards the images in question. Sure enough, the large figure was covered in hair, and what little skin was exposed looked thick and sturdy. In its hands was a large pistol with a pair of curved bayonets on the front end, and the only bit of armor it wore was a helmet. With a mouth filled with large tusks, it wasn't hard to see why the UNSC called them Brutes. They certainly looked brutish. The Grunt, on the other hand, was much smaller, but with the pack on its back its total height seemed to match his. Assuming the name meant something, Ozpin felt that these Grunts were the basic workers of the Covenant.

"They wanted the planet because they thought Harvest had Forerunner artifacts on it. Obviously we weren't going to just hand the whole thing over to them, and they didn't take too kindly to us saying no," Johnson explained. "After first contact went sour, they started killing everybody. Didn't matter if they were soldier or civilian. If they were human, they were slaughtered."

"Gods…" Pietro muttered as footage of the slaughter was shown.

Civilians were running for their lives as the alien warriors cut them down, firing massive spikes from their handguns that gored through them. Accompanying the spikes were balls of multicolored plasma, mostly red from smaller and more elegant looking handguns. The smaller Grunts were wielding small handguns that fired green orbs of plasma that melted through armor and flesh as though it was nothing. From above, alien aircraft screamed through the air, firing blue bolts of plasma machine guns supplemented by larger green explosive blasts. The UNSC militia fought the best they could, but they were no match and were cut down as well.

"How many died?" Ironwood asked, unable to tear his gaze away as more footage of the battle was shown.

"Out of 3,000,000 people, only 250,000 survived," Johnson revealed.

Ozpin felt his breath hitch, and from the corner of his eye he saw the other leaders of Remnant had the same reaction. But as he turned back to Johnson, it was clear that he, Halsey, and Cole were far from finished.

"When contact with Harvest was lost," Cole explained, "the Colonial Military Association sent the CMA _Argo_ to investigate. It arrived on April 20th, 2525, and contact was lost soon after. In response, a CMA battle group was dispatched composed of a _Hillsborough_-class destroyer, the CMA _Heracles_, and two _Charon_-class light frigates, the CMA _Arabia_ and CMA _Vostok_. They arrived on October 7th, 2525, where they encountered this."

The image of Harvest shifted, and Ozpin felt his heart jump into his throat as the once pristine paradise was reduced to a glowing ball of fire. The lakes and oceans were melted away, the surface burned and smooth like freshly made glass. The atmosphere was clogged in thick, black smoke, and the only portions of the planet left untouched were covered in what looked to be lifeless snow. Orbiting above the planet was a single massive and bulbous Covenant vessel, which was labeled as a super-destroyer. No one made a sound, and the room was so quiet that one could hear a pin being dropped.

"The Covenant attacked the battlegroup, and in less than a minute, the _Arabia _and the _Vostok_ were destroyed while the _Heracles_ was critically damaged," Cole somberly announced. "Before the _Heracles _managed to escape and limp back to the UNSC headquarters at Reach, the super-destroyer broadcasted a single message in perfect English."

Once Cole finished speaking, an audio feed popped up, and the lines began to bounce up and down as a silky voice declared, "_Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument_."

The UNSC let the declaration of war hang over everyone's heads, then Cole began to softly speak. With how quiet everyone was, he might as well have been shouting at the top of his lungs.

"It took us five years to get Harvest back, but by then the Covenant had already begun massacring the Outer Colonies. You must understand. The Covenant aren't trying to conquer us," Cole declared. "They're not trying to convert us to their religion. They don't want our resources, they don't want our living space, and they don't believe we follow the wrong ideology that needs correcting. The only thing the Covenant want is humanity's complete and utter annihilation."

"You once said, Headmaster, that the Grimm were the greatest threat to humanity," Halsey added, her tone of voice cold as ice. "Unfortunately, you're quite wrong. The Human-Covenant War isn't like your Great War. Then you fought for the right of expression. But here and now, we're fighting for our right to _exist_."

Ozpin looked at the others then cleared his throat, trying his best to wrap his mind around what he was bearing witness to. He had suspected for months now that the UNSC was at war with the Covenant, but never had he conceived of this type of war. It seemed far-fetched, and he wanted to discard it as merely propaganda, but at the same time he couldn't. His instincts, honed over countless lifetimes, were screaming at him that the UNSC was telling the truth, and that terrified him more than anything else.

"Hold on, that…doesn't make any sense," Pietro tried to say, but his throat sounded dry. "This has to be an exaggeration. There's no possible way a space-faring civilization would resort to this…this…_barbarism_."

"I sincerely wish that was the case, Doctor," Admiral Cole sadly replied, "but it's not. We've already lost hundreds of colonies and billions of people, with entire worlds glassed into oblivion with no concern for long-term damage. If anything, it seems to be the desired effect."

"If that's the case," Glynda replied, her voice low, "then how is this our problem? I'm sorry but the Covenant is at war with the UNSC, not Remnant."

"They're at war with humanity, _not_ the UNSC," Halsey answered, her voice firm and sharp as steel. "Many insurrectionists made the exact same mistake you're making and tried to ally themselves with the Covenant against us. They were killed for their trouble, and by now any insurrectionists who are left have wisely chosen to hide from them. Most signed up with the UNSC, the threat of human extinction outweighing any old animosities."

Glynda swallowed hard, visibly trying her best to dispute the allegation. But, just like Ozpin, she was finding herself unable to completely do so. There was still doubt, but Ozpin suspected, much like his own, it was borne out of desperation rather than genuine disbelief.

"The-the Faunus aren't human though," Sienna pointed out, her voice quivering as more and more planets showing the Covenant's onslaught were shown, along with a relentless increase in casualties that quickly reached the billions.

"They won't care," Johnson retorted. "They'll see the Faunus as humans with extra bits, nothing more. You don't look different enough. They'll gun you down all the same."

Ghira and Sienna shot back, their eyes wide and their foreheads beginning to drip with sweat. The rest of Ozpin's colleagues were doing the same, with Lionheart beginning to have an outright panic attack, and General Ironwood was beginning to clench the holotable with enough force to form dents. Then Professor Theodore tilted his head towards Admiral Cole, Doctor Halsey, and Sergeant Johnson, then raised his eyebrow.

"How do we know this isn't a fabrication?" he asked. "I'm sorry if I cause any offense, but I find this hard to believe. You're talking about a collection of aliens, more advanced than you, trying to kill all humans because we exist?"

"It sounds like the plot of one of the first-person-shooter video games I've confiscated from my students," Professor Rumpole added, which Glynda nodded to in agreement. Ozpin knew where they were coming from, and the statements seemed to calm the others somewhat.

Rather than appear insulted, the UNSC representatives merely shook their heads sadly. Cole then said, "I'm afraid that's the truth. It's hard to believe, I know, but just a few months ago I didn't believe the soul existed, much less that it could be brought out as Aura and Semblances. But I assure you that I am not lying about this. None of us are. The Covenant, and the threat they pose to all of humanity, is real."

"Remnant is just outside of UNSC space, and we found you by accident," Halsey pointed out. "The Covenant are far more advanced than us, and are actively searching for human colonies to destroy. It's not a matter of if they'll find Remnant, it's _when_. And when they find Remnant, they'll burn it to the ground like every other human-occupied world."

The room fell silent once more, and Ozpin felt his heart thundering in his chest. His hands were clenched tightly onto the table as he watched more and more pristine, beautiful worlds burned away. Madrigal, Jericho VII, and countless more worlds joined Harvest's fate, while only a few, such as the world of Arcadia, managed to survive, albeit heavily scarred. Ozpin desperately wanted to dismiss all of it, but he couldn't. None of them could.

"Well then, assuming all this is true," Ironwood said, shakily looking up at Admiral Cole, "what is it that you want, then?"

"An alliance," Cole immediately answered. "Remnant cannot survive the Covenant on its own, but the UNSC is losing ground too fast to recover. We believe that Remnant, when combined with UNSC capabilities, holds the key to humanity's survival. Your Aura, Dust, and the Huntsmen and Huntresses who are trained to use them. By working together, we can push the Covenant back, prevent them from wiping us out."

"In return for this alliance, the UNSC is fully prepared to lend its full assistance in combating the Grimm," Halsey explained. "That includes garrisons of the UNSC Army and Air Force, along with orbital support. In addition, the UNSC will offer our technology to augment yours and vice versa. That includes medicine, AIs, energy generation, space travel, and other innovations that would lead to one of the largest jumps in standards of living Remnant has ever seen."

Ozpin looked at Halsey for a moment, then asked, "What if we refused?"

"Then we will simply hire Huntsmen and Huntresses," Halsey explained. "We have no interest in fighting Remnant over this. Not only is it a monumentally stupid idea on more levels than I can count, it is simply a conflict neither of us need. The UNSC Security Council has wisely come to the decision that we have more to gain working together than we ever could by being apart."

"That being said, I do understand your concerns," Cole added. "This is a lot to take in, and all you're truly going off of at the moment is our word. Understandably, that isn't enough to justify jumping into a war that shouldn't involve you. Which is why Doctor Halsey suggested a trial run, of sorts."

"A trial run?" Ghira asked, raising an eyebrow, and Doctor Halsey nodded.

"Yes. Rather than take our word for it, have Huntsmen and Huntresses you trust come with us," Halsey offered. "There they can see for themselves whether or not the threat of the Covenant is real. They'll report back to you, and then you can make your decision."

Ozpin hummed, rubbing his hand across his chin. The offer was somewhat appealing, and it would enable him and the rest of Remnant's leaders to make the most accurate decision. But, at the same time, it carried risks, and the last thing he wanted was his people being exploited.

"If we were to allow this, how many could be sent?" Ozpin asked.

"As many as you want, although I would recommend keeping the number reasonable," Halsey suggested. "My suggestion would be four to five Huntsmen and Huntresses from each kingdom."

The Headmaster of Beacon nodded in agreement with that request, then he asked, "How would they be treated?"

"They would be treated as observers," Cole answered. "Observers outside of the UNSC's chain of command. Should conflict with the Covenant erupt, they won't be expected to follow our orders."

"How long would they be gone?"

"At most, one year. After that, the decision's up to you."

Ozpin hummed then looked around to his colleagues. They were all deep in thought, but one by one they looked at Ozpin, silently telling him their decision. Lionheart was the last one, then Ozpin nodded and turned back to Admiral Cole.

* * *

_Patch Island_

_Kingdom of Vale, Sanus, Remnant, Oum System_

_9:30 PM, 70 AGW (Remnant Calendar)_

"Alright girls, time for bed," Taiyang announced as he entered the living room where Qrow was playing video games with Ruby and Yang.

"Aww, come on, dad!" Ruby complained as she continued to play, not looking away from the screen. "I'm not tired!"

"Just let us finish this game, please?" Yang begged, but Taiyang shook his head while walking over and turning the console off.

"No, I was winning!" Ruby screeched then pouted towards her dad, but Taiyang was unaffected by her trademark puppy-dog eyes.

"Uh-uh, none of that tonight. Besides, I told you to go to bed half-an-hour ago."

"But dad!" Yang started, but Taiyang merely threw his arm to the side towards the girl's room.

Both Ruby and Yang groaned, then slowly got up and trudged towards their room, dragging their heels along the way. Qrow watched them go with an amused smile on his face, and once they heard the door close, he looked towards Tai and raised an eyebrow.

"You know, I was going to tell them to go to bed after that game," he pointed out, but Tai waved him off.

"Oh, don't you start. You're a bad influence on them, and you know it," Taiyang playfully remarked. Rather than counter, Qrow merely shrugged, then took another swig of his beer bottle before walking over to the table.

"Any word from Oz?" Taiyang asked, and Qrow frowned before shaking his head.

"Nothing yet. He's been up in that ship for hours. Starting to get worried," he admitted, and Taiyang scoffed.

"You're only getting worried _now_?"

"Oh, I was worried as soon as Oz got the message. It's only increased since then."

Taiyang shook his head, but before he could say anything else, Qrow felt his scroll vibrate. He fished it out of his pocket, and to his relief he saw that the caller ID was Ozpin. Letting out a smile, he answered the call and brought the scroll up to his ear, raising a finger towards Taiyang to keep him quiet.

"Oz, was starting to get worried. What did they want?" he asked. When Ozpin didn't answer at first, Qrow's smile turned into a frown. Then he heard Ozpin clear his throat, and the Headmaster of Beacon began to speak.

"_Qrow, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to do something for me,_" Ozpin said, and Qrow raised his eyebrow.

"Of course," he answered, not seeing where the issue was coming from. After all, he'd done plenty of assignments for Ozpin over the years, many of which kept him away from home for months. One went past a year.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked, and on the other end of the line he heard Ozpin sigh.

"_Do you remember what you found for me back at Vytal?_"

"Yeah?" Qrow felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and Taiyang noticed his shift in demeanor.

"_It's worse than either of us thought. Far worse, if the UNSC is telling the truth,_" Ozpin admitted, and Qrow felt his eyes widen. "_They're offering to take Huntsmen and Huntresses to see for themselves, and I need you to go with them._"

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of _Dust and Echoes_! Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for their help in bringing this chapter to life.

Remnant's leaders have finally learned what the Covenant are, and as you can see, they did not take it well. How else would you react if you were told an advanced alien collective wanted to wipe you out just for existing? But doubts, even if borne out of desperation, persist, so now Remnant is sending forces of their own to see for themselves. The fight against the Covenant is once again taking center stage, and I can't wait to show you guys what we have in store.

Now, onto the Q&A:

**Ghostly: **The SPARTAN Program is well underway, and there's nothing Salem can do to stop it. At the moment, her reach is limited.

**Chewbacca: **I'm actually helping with a RWBY/Mass Effect crossover called _Spectrum of the Sky_. In it, the Asari found Remnant just after the Great War and uplifted them, with the four kingdoms of Remnant uniting into the Kingdoms Alliance. Ruby is taking the place of Shepard in the story. We've only gotten the prologue and trailer 1 completed, but we're working on the rest of it as well.

**the REAL caboose: **Thank you. I'm glad you like it so much.

**Guest: **We are a long, long ways away from that. Even then, I only do things in my story because I believe it'll help push it forward. I don't do things because my audience requests it. That goes for this and anything else.

**Salutations: **Thank you.

**LoneRider-09: **Glad to hear it! Also, you can expect a fair amount of RvB references, along with other stuff that we think are fun.

**Jackboot: **I have four stories I write, and I try to update them at least once or twice a month.

**Ferox Pretorious: **Remember, for the ease of diplomacy and the simple fact that doing so, as Halsey and Cole pointed out, would be utterly idiotic, they aren't bringing their full might to bear. Not to mention I want to respect both sides of this crossover. Far too many Halo crossovers have the UNSC be this overwhelming force, when that has never really been the case in Halo (with the exception of 4 and 5 due to the current state of the galaxy at the time). The UNSC is the underdog, and I intend to show that. As for the SPARTAN recovery time, there's a difference between "fully recovered," which is what Hannibal was referring to, and "combat-capable." You're correct, the SPARTANs are able to be combat capable with far worse injuries after a short recovery time, but now they're getting the chance to fully recover, which is why it's taking a bit longer. As for Aura, you'll have to wait and see.

**Pvt. Jenkins: **Don't worry, more's coming.

**Blazer: **At one point, my thought was to have the _Spirit of Fire_ show up. I love that ship, but the problem is that doing so doesn't help the story I intend to tell. So, sorry but it's not happening. At least not anytime soon.

**SPRTN544: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Yeah, Halsey is a lot of fun for me to write, especially when I put her in the same room as Doctor Watts. You can expect to see more of her as the story goes on, especially as she tries to bring Aura, Dust, and Semblances back firmly into the realm of science. And yeah, Salem doesn't fully grasp what the UNSC is just yet. None of them do, and her and the others learning more and more will be a big focus of the story. Same from the perspective of the UNSC towards Remnant. As for advantages and disadvantages, I fully intend to explore those as well. Again, I'm respecting both sides of the crossover. I don't want nor like stomp fics.

**shados960:** Yep. Last chapter may have been slow, but it was very much important. In any story structure, you have to have the falling action after the climax, which is exactly what this was. This chapter, in contrast, was a bit of rising action. The next few will be that until we hit the second climax of the First Contact arc, and I don't think I need to specify what that will be. You're correct that Halsey suspects something. She's smart like that, which Ozpin has picked up on and is a reason why he doesn't like her. As for Remnant's reaction towards the Covenant, it's inevitable that they have to join in but they're not going to like it. From their leader's reactions, it's not going to be pretty. And that's really the thing about Salem and is why I like her as a villain so much. She's arrogant and evil, yes, but not stupid about it. She knows what she wants and works to get it, but not in a way that'll obviously backfire. I intend to show that about her. As for your suggestions, I will not be doing a Mass Effect-style timeline. I'm not a huge fan of those, as I feel it's too impersonal. What I do intend to do is a high-light reel where chapters come in that have multi-year timeskips between them, showing various developments and events leading up to when RWBY and JNPR enter the scene. Also, I do not take requests to write stories. Any and all stories I write are ones I come up with.

**ChronoHyperion: **You will have to wait and see. This goes for everyone, but please try to refrain from asking questions directly pertaining to future plot events. Those are spoilers, and I will not be answering those. That includes whether or not certain characters will appear, certain events will happen, etc.

**Zealswordsmen: **Thank you, that was a big priority for me. I wanted the First Contact arc of this story to feel realistic and organic. Glad to hear that I accomplished that.

**CheesusChrist15: **Those statements are coming from Doctor Watts, who as we all know far from being an unbiased source as well as being, frankly, an asshole. Just because he says UNSC weapons are primitive does not mean they actually are. They just went down a different path than Remnant did, which Halsey pointed out.

**Warlus999: **Uh...thank you? I'm not certain how this discussion on magic vs science pertains to the story, but I'm glad you like my work.

**D. : **Yep, and now things are moving forward. Especially since the UNSC doesn't have the luxury of time.

**Jinero: **You'll have to wait and see for all of that.

**Knighthunter911700: **No, they would not. SPARTANs are the embodiment of the professional soldier. Only Emile, or other SPARTAN-IIIs like him, would do what you suggest. But those are abnormalities for the most part. The SPARTAN-IIs, like Blue Team, aren't the type of people to go overboard as that would be a waste of their time and doesn't actually help the mission. I'm going to end the discussion on that here.

**SulliMike23: **Which the UNSC anticipated, hence why they had the secret meeting on the _Everest_. Figured they'd break the news slowly.

**Steelrain66: **You're correct, the UNSC does not like racism. As a whole, they've moved past it. Now the discrimination is Inner vs Outer colonist, so they don't really like the treatment the Faunus get. As Ghira pointed out, they haven't had the same issues with the UNSC as they've had with the other kingdoms, which has ramifications for the future.

**kpmh2001: **Thank you, I'm glad you like my characterization. I really try to ensure my interpretations of their characters match canon as much as possible. As for your opinion on SPARTANs, I can see where you are coming from and I do agree. In the case of the fight against Haki, though, do remember that a lot of what I did came from the needs of the story. I needed to show how SPARTANs and Huntsmen stacked up against each other, so I had the fight go as it did.

**Iron117Prime: **Oh, it's going to be interesting, that's for sure.

**The Avenging Titan:** Yeah, I love the Halo characters, too. It's my favorite franchise for a reason, and my goal here with this story is to honor both _Halo_ and _RWBY_ as I show how I believe they would interact and mesh in this setting.

**Shadowwolf of Phantasms: **That's good to hear! I intend for my work to be accessible by anyone, not just die-hard lore fans of either series. All you really need is a passing knowledge of it, and while there's certainly Easter eggs die-hard fans will recognize, you don't need them to understand the story.

**thetyrant67: **Thank you, that really means a lot to me.

That's it for this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!


	14. To Boldly Go

**Dust and Echoes (RWBY/Halo)**

**Chapter 13: To Boldly Go**

[~][~]

_Patch Island_

_Kingdom of Vale, Sanus, Remnant, Oum System_

_February 15__th__, 70 AGW 11:15 AM (Remnant Calendar)_

Qrow studied the information on his scroll intensely, trying his best to absorb each and every detail that was laid out in front of him. It was a copy of the data that the UNSC had shared with all four headmasters and the chieftain of Menagerie, detailing just what, exactly, they were up against. He had known for months now that the UNSC was at war with someone and had feared Remnant would be drawn into it, but he thought the Covenant was just another space-faring human civilization. It already happened once, so the precedent was made. But Qrow, and everyone else, was completely wrong.

The Covenant was indeed another spacefaring civilization, but it had nothing to do with humans. Instead, it was a collection of aliens all unified under a single religion and wanting nothing more than the total eradication of humanity. It sounded far-fetched, but Qrow recognized the tone in Ozpin's voice. His mentor was scared, and that terrified Qrow more than anything. If the great Ozpin was scared of what the UNSC told them, Qrow had no reason to doubt it any more than he did. Of course, most of him hoped that the UNSC was grossly misstating the threat the Covenant posed to them, but that was why he and others were going out to see for themselves. In many ways, Qrow supposed it was the most important mission he'd ever been given, so he had to make sure he was as fully prepared as possible.

"What are these things?" Taiyang asked as he walked over to hand Qrow a bottle of beer.

The veteran Huntsman eagerly took the offered beverage and downed a swig, then rotated his scroll over so that Tai could see the screen clearly. It was a pyramid-shaped diagram that was wide at the base and narrow at the top, divided out into squares that each housed a unique creature. Given how the Covenant was apparently a caste-based hierarchy, he supposed the data's organization served to illustrate their stratified society.

"Member species of the Covenant, supposedly," Qrow answered, "as well as what the UNSC knows about them."

"Certainly a lot more alien than the UNSC is," Taiyang stated, then frowned and pointed at a diminutive alien at the bottom of the screen. "Mind sharing the details?"

"Don't see why not," Qrow replied, then tapped the icon and enlarged the image. It was replaced by a full-body avatar capable of being rotated, accompanied by a short paragraph of information about the species itself.

"This little bastard's called a…Unn-goy? Uggoy? I don't know, the UNSC calls them Grunts. According to this, they're the mainline fighters of the Covenant, although from what the UNSC says they're mostly used as cannon fodder. Poorly armed, poorly trained, but able to overwhelm people with sheer numbers," Qrow explained as both he and Tai read the accompanying data. "Forces of Grunts numbering in the thousands isn't uncommon, apparently."

"What's with the tanks on their backs?" Tai asked, pointing to the pointed apparatus strapped to their backs and connected to gas masks over their faces.

"Says they don't breathe oxygen like we do," Qrow said after glancing at the data, then chuckled. "Little fartsuckers breathe methane, instead."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, both Huntsmen couldn't help but chuckle. Then their expressions hardened, and Tai tapped the screen back to the home page.

"What's this bird-looking thing? A…Kig-Yar?" Tai asked as he tapped the image in question. As the data came up, he raised an eyebrow and remarked, "They call them Jackals? Those things don't look like dogs at all. More like if a bird just stood up, lost its feathers and picked up a gun."

"Apparently it's because these guys are scavengers and pirates. They like to comb the battlefield for anything they can get their hands on. It's how they and the UNSC first met, actually. Jackal pirates were raiding human freighters," Qrow explained, then moved the accompanying paragraph down. "They're also not the strongest, physically, but are very quick, agile, and have excellent eyesight, making them perfectly suited for scouts and snipers. Says here that there are three main types of 'em. Most Jackals go into combat armed lightly with pistols and wrist-mounted plasma shields that are practically impervious to small-arms fire. Others forgo the shield entirely in favor of long-range weaponry, turning them into snipers. Finally, there's a distinct subspecies of Jackal called Skirmishers that are far stronger and more durable, so the Covenant use them as shock troops."

"Certainly look tougher," Taiyang remarked as an image of a Skirmisher came up.

While the Jackal looked skinny and more reptilian than avian, with a narrow head and beak with bulbous eyes, the Skirmisher was stockier, its muscles more densely packed, and it was covered in a thick black plumage. Its mouth was far more beak-like than the Jackal's, and it had some bony coverings that added supplemental protection. On the Skirmisher's wrists were a pair of energy gauntlets. It didn't form a full shield like its smaller cousin's, but when both of them were brought together it could still form an adequate defense against small-arms fire.

Moving on, they went back to the home screen and pulled up the next alien. Unlike the arthropod-like Grunt or avian Jackal, this creature was clearly insectoid in origin. It reminded both Huntsmen of Lancers, somewhat, only instead of having a massive stinger it chose to drop the black and white paintjob, its stinger, and a pair of legs in favor of a light green exoskeleton, an upright if slightly hunched over posture, and being able to hold guns.

"The Yanme'e, or Drones as the UNSC like to call them," Qrow said after reading the accompanying data. "Little buggers can fly around nimbly at high-speeds and are strong enough to carry a fully-armed marine off the ground and rip them apart. The Covenant likes to use them in aerial ambushes and swarms, but for the most part they're used as engineers and mechanics."

"I don't know if I'd trust my truck getting repaired by a bug," Taiyang joked, and Qrow nodded in agreement.

He then went back to the home page and moved to a floating creature that looked more like a balloon come to life than an actual animal. Its back was bulbous, filled with gas that allowed it to float around. Three pairs of eyes were along the sides of its light-blue, wormlike head, and several dexterous tendrils extended downward off its body.

"What's that thing?" Taiyang asked, leaning in to get a closer look.

"That is a Huragok, or Engineer," Qrow revealed, then narrowed his eyes as he read further along. "Hold on, how does that…? Apparently, this gasbag is actually an artificial lifeform the Covenant use to maintain their equipment."

"What, like a living robot?" Taiyang asked, his eyes widening. "The Covenant can make those?"

"No, apparently the Covenant just found them. The Engineers were made by the Forerunners."

"…What's a Forerunner?"

"Right, I forgot to tell you that," Qrow admitted, then sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Supposedly, the Forerunners were a race of highly advanced aliens that ruled the galaxy a hundred-thousand years ago, then suddenly disappeared for seemingly no reason and left their creations behind. The Covenant believe they went on something called the 'Great Journey' and became gods, and they hope to follow in their footsteps. Apparently their entire society revolves around that goal."

"Sounds an awful lot like something we know," Taiyang pointed out, narrowing his eyes.

Qrow stared right back then slowly nodded, adding, "Yeah, we've already made that connection. No idea what it means, if it does at all, but it's concerning, nonetheless. Anyway, it looks like the Engineers were made by the Forerunners to repair and maintain their stuff, and when the Covenant started using them they just kept doing what they were made to do. They don't fight, and instead just…float around the battlefield repairing any technology they come across, human and Covenant. Sometimes they're modified to give Covenant forces remote shielding, but otherwise don't do much."

"I see. When then, guess Engineer is as good a name for them as any," Taiyang remarked, and Qrow nodded before moving on to the next step in the Covenant hierarchy.

"What the Hell is that?" Taiyang demanded, recoiling at the sight of the next creature.

Qrow grimaced, agreeing with Taiyang's assessment wholeheartedly. It was a hulking monstrosity, what looked to be a mass of worms housed in dark blue armor. Its left arm was covered in an angular shield while its right housed a green-colored plasma cannon. Most of its body was covered except for the back and 'head,' and even that was mostly covered by spiky armor that had to be knocked off before anything could penetrate into its orange flesh.

"These big bastards are…I'm not even going to try to pronounce their real names, they're called Hunters," Qrow declared, then furrowed his brow and clenched his fist tightly. "Colonies of worms housed inside two pairs of armor or large vehicles. Outfitted with nearly impenetrable armor and a fuel rod cannon, they're the Covenant's primary anti-armor infantry."

"Infantry? They look like walking tanks!" Taiyang pointed out.

"Looks like they literally are," Qrow said, then scratched his head. "What I don't get is why they're called Hunters. Hunters are supposed to be nimble and quiet so as to not scare their prey. Looks like these things would be heard from a mile away."

"Well…UNSC vehicles are named after animals and these things are meant to destroy armor," Taiyang suggested. Both men fell silent for a moment, pondering the word choice, then nodded in mutual agreement before moving on.

Qrow pulled up the next creature, and grimaced at the sight. It was a large, ape or bear-like being covered in thick fur. Any skin that was exposed revealed itself to be thick, grey hide that reminded him of a rhino. Its nose was sunken into its skull, more of a pair of nostrils than what humans had, and its hands had three fingers and an opposable thumb. Large fangs sprouted out of its mouth, and its eyes housed a sense of savagery that put all others to shame. But what disturbed him the most, when compared to the rest of the aliens making up the Covenant, was just how human it looked. Qrow supposed it was due to the fact that it was clearly mammalian, while the rest weren't.

"This is a Jiral..han…forget it, a Brute," Qrow explained, his frown growing deeper as he continued to read. "From what limited intelligence the UNSC has been able to gather, the Brutes were the latest species to enter the Covenant only a few decades before first contact at Harvest. They're by far the strongest creature in the Covenant military, capable of ripping apart tanks with their bare hands and surviving small-arms fire just from the thickness of their fur and hides alone."

"Gods above…" Taiyang remarked as he read along, noticing the details on how they fought, their weapons and tactics, and most importantly, the sheer brutality they brought onto the battlefield. "They're savages…"

"That they are," Qrow replied as he looked at the bayonetted spike rifle the Brutes preferred to go into combat with.

Uniquely, Brutes tended to use their own designs rather than what the rest of the Covenant used. Multi-shot grenade launchers with an underside bayonet, bladed hammers capable of using projected gravitational force when striking, large one-wheeled vehicles that tore up the ground as they traversed. The only 'normal,' for lack of a better word, Covenant weapon they typically used was a red plasma rifle that apparently fired cooler red bolts but at a faster rate of fire.

"You said the Covenant was a caste-based hierarchy. Are these the head honchos?" Taiyang asked, but Qrow shook his head and pulled up the next creature.

"No," he answered. "According to this, that position, at least militarily, belongs to these guys. The…Sangheili, otherwise known as Elites. Interestingly, the Brutes and Elites do not like each other at all, and the Brutes have been jockeying for their position ever since they joined. Brute-led ships are a thing, but they tend to be underequipped when compared to Elite-controlled vessels."

Just like the Brutes, the Elite towered over the average human being. Standing on two digitigrade legs that ended in hooves, the reptilian humanoid's most striking feature was its quadruple-hinged mandible jaws. Its hands were tetradactyl, with two fingers and two thumbs, one on each side of the appendage. Its body was covered in dark grey or black scales, and they could see the muscles that spoke of the power they held.

"These…. Elites, they lead the Covenant military. Their generals, admirals, all the way down to squad leaders. All the other members of the Covenant military follow their lead," Qrow explained. "They're the best equipped, all given a full-body energy shield and armor capable of protecting themselves from small-arms fire and the best weapons the Covenant bring to the field, as well as the best training. Entire squads of marines can go up against a single Elite and it'll have a decent chance of winning. Their only real drawback is their sense of 'honor' and stagnant battlefield tactics."

"So, they're overly rigid?" Taiyang asked, and Qrow nodded.

"Yep, but they have so many other advantages it practically doesn't even matter. Any victories the UNSC gets are pyrrhic, at best."

"Well, that's not terrifying at all," Taiyang remarked, then looked back at the scroll. "Are the Elites in charge of the entire Covenant?"

"Yes and no, apparently," Qrow said as he pulled up the last species, a frail-looking creature with a long serpentine neck, gold skin that was wrinkled and hung off their bodies in places, and a pair of forward set eyes that had a sense of arrogance to them. "According to this, the Elites share the position of top dog in the Covenant with the Prophets. While the Elites control the military, the Prophets control all religious, political, and scientific matters. They lead the Covenant towards the Great Journey, while the Elites serve as their protectors."

"That sounds like a lop-sided arrangement if I've ever heard one," Taiyang stated through narrow eyes, and Qrow nodded in complete agreement. Whatever relationship the Elites thought they had with the Prophets, it was obvious where the real power lied. Something that the UNSC readily recognized, judging by the tone of the report.

"Is that all of them?" Taiyang asked, and Qrow nodded as he closed his scroll. Sighing deeply, Taiyang Xiao Long fell back into his chair and took a swig of his beer, then asked, "What do you make of this, Qrow?"

"Personally? Trying my best to dismiss it all," Qrow admitted, then Taiyang narrowed his gaze and leaned forward.

"But you can't," Tai declared, and after a moment, Qrow nodded.

"…No, I can't. Neither can Ozpin for that matter." Qrow looked around the room, grateful that Ruby and Yang were back at school, thus leaving the two men completely alone. He then added, "If the UNSC is being honest about even half of what they're saying, Tai, things are going to get bad. Real bad."

"As bad as Salem?"

"Maybe worse, I don't know," Qrow admitted, running his hand through his spiky hair. "Either way, I'm gonna be gone for a while. A year, at most, not including travel time through slipspace."

"Hey, at least you'll get to go up into space. That's exciting, at least," Tai offered.

"Have you _heard_ how Ozpin and Glynda described it? They said it was like going on the rockiest, most intense roller coaster that had been juiced up on steroids. I can't say I'm looking forward to that."

"Yes, yes, but consider this: you'll get to go into space, and the girls can gush all over you."

Qrow smiled then held up his beer bottle, remarking, "You do make a convincing argument."

"It's what I do," Taiyang joked back, then he and Qrow clinked their bottles together before downing a drink. After wiping away the excess from his lips, Taiyang became serious once more, then asked, "When are you heading out?"

"Three days from now," Qrow said. "They're splitting us up into two ships, just in case something goes wrong. No need to put all our eggs in one basket."

"Fair enough. What ship are you going on?"

"The UNSC _Midsummer Night_, a frigate commanded by some guy named Keyes," Qrow answered, then shrugged. "I'll be joining Vale's Huntsmen along with fighters from Atlas and Menagerie. Mistral's and Vacuo's are going on the other ship."

"We'll be sure to see you off," Tai replied, then frowned. "The girls aren't saying much, but they're scared."

"You haven't told them about the Covenant, have you?"

"No, not at all, but they know you're going into space for a while. That makes them nervous."

Qrow nodded, then softly declared, "Don't worry, good-old Uncle Qrow's not going anywhere, and I'll be back before they know it."

"You better. They've…we've already lost too much," Taiyang admitted.

Qrow sat there in silence for a while, not knowing what to say about that, and he frowned before taking another drink of his beer. Team STRQ had suffered immensely since their graduation from Beacon, Taiyang especially. Qrow supposed his sister leaving them was the first nail, but Summer's death was what truly tore them apart. Only recently did Taiyang finally pick up the pieces of his life, and he didn't want to think about what would happen if Qrow failed to return. It was something that was always at the back of his mind whenever he went on missions, which drove him to present himself as so brash and irreverent whenever he returned. No need to worry about "Cool Uncle Qrow" after all, he'd always come back no matter what kind of trouble he got himself into.

Qrow's thoughts were broken as he saw a black figure flutter past the window near the trees surrounding the cottage. It was brief and from the corner of his eye, but it caught both his and Tai's attention regardless. Whatever it was, it was long gone now, but as they saw a black feather slowly drift down towards the grassy ground, they immediately knew who was listening in.

* * *

_February 18__th__, 70 AGW 6:30 AM (Remnant Calendar)_

In the wee hours of the morning, the inhabitants of the Xiao Long home were awoken by the sound of a Pelican touching down. The aircraft's arrival signaled that it was time for Qrow to go. He hadn't bothered changing into nightwear the night before, and he had already packed his bag which meant he was ready to leave in just a few minutes. Qrow waited for Tai and his nieces to wake up first, though, and now all three were standing outside in the cold as the sun slowly rose over the horizon.

"Hey, don't worry, kiddo," Qrow insisted as he rubbed the top of Ruby's head. "I'll be back before you know it."

"…You better," Yang grumbled, crossing her arms while trying her best to maintain her tough image. It didn't fool anyone, though. It was obvious just how scared she was for her uncle. Ruby didn't even both trying to hide it, with the poor girl about to break into tears. It was why Qrow was focusing so much on her, as she clearly needed it the most.

"Do…" Ruby sniffled then rubbed her eyes with her strawberry-pattern pajama sleeve, "do you have to go?"

Qrow slowly nodded, then said, "Yeah, I do. It's really important, Ruby."

Ruby tearfully looked up at her uncle, then sniffled before adopting a serious expression. She then declared, "Then you bring something back when you get home! I wanna show off to my friends!"

The veteran Huntsman couldn't help but chuckle as he ruffled Ruby's hair once more, then he replied, "Don't worry, I will."

Ruby looked up at her beloved uncle, then smiled before quickly wrapping herself around him in a tight hug. Soon Yang joined them, and Qrow hugged them tightly as though it would be the last time he'd get the chance to do so. He prayed to the Gods that wouldn't be the case, but this was a mission unlike anything he'd ever been on. There was no telling what awaited him once he left Remnant's atmosphere. In more ways than one, he was about to enter a brand new world.

Finally, after several minutes, Qrow disentangled himself from Ruby and Yang then rose to his feet. The two girls went back to their father, gripping his hands tightly as Qrow turned around and walked back to the Pelican. Waiting just outside the troop bay, he was greeted by someone who had become somewhat of a familiar face over the past few months, much to his surprise.

"They're gonna be fine, don't worry," Sergeant Avery Johnson told the Huntsman as he drew close. Qrow looked at the man then nodded before stepping onto the aircraft, but before Johnson could follow him, he heard Yang's voice ring out.

"You bring back my uncle, you hear me!" Yang shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to act as a makeshift megaphone. Johnson looked towards the girls and upon seeing how serious Yang was looking, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I'll hold his hand," Johnson declared. This seemed to please the blonde girl, who nodded as she crossed her arms again. Johnson then looked at their father before giving a quick nod, then got inside the aircraft and took a seat opposite Qrow. The troop bay door sealed shut, then the VTOL aircraft rose high into the air and flew off towards the open ocean in the east.

"Remind me again why you had to pick me up?" Qrow asked as the Pelican continued its flight. "Couldn't a Bullhead have worked just as well?"

"Right now, Branwen, secrecy is of the utmost importance," Johnson answered, settling in and pulling out a cigar. He offered it to Qrow who declined with a wave of his hand, then Johnson shrugged before lighting it and taking a few quick puffs. Breathing out a faint cloud of smoke, Johnson added, "No offense, but we can trust our people to keep their mouths shut a lot more than yours."

"None taken," Qrow replied, understanding exactly where the marine sergeant was coming from if not for the exact same reason. Johnson was clearly concerned about media leaks, but Qrow was far more concerned about more insidious actors finding out about what they were embarking on. If Salem found out about the Covenant, there was no telling what she might do.

The two men settled into the turbulent roar of the flight, neither feeling the need to strike up conversation. A few times Johnson cracked a joke, but Qrow just responded with noncommittal grunts, too occupied with gripping his seat harness to do much else. He supposed plenty of his fellow Huntsmen were acting the same, both due to the importance of this mission as well as the fact that _they were going into space_. Qrow wasn't ashamed to admit that he was nervous. If something went wrong, there would be nothing he could do. When the marine sergeant's cigar suddenly slipped out of his fingers, popping up into the air before falling to the floor, Qrow redoubled his efforts in keeping his Semblance contained. The last thing anyone needed was for a horrible case of bad-luck to knock them out of the sky.

Johnson didn't hold his reticence against him. The relative silence didn't last long, however, as about half-an-hour into it they began to slow down. Both Qrow and Johnson recognized what this meant, and soon the Pelican entered one of the hangar bays of the UNSC _Midsummer Night._

According to the data the UNSC had shared, the _Midsummer Night_ was a modified _Stalwart-_class light frigate equipped with stealth capabilities. This meant it was perfectly suited for the needs of this mission, especially since they weren't meant to actively engage in combat. The Huntsmen and Huntresses were only meant to observe, but if they had to get into a fight, the _Midsummer Night_ was capable of defending itself.

When the Pelican finally landed, Qrow and Johnson stood up as the bay doors opened. Johnson led the way while saying, "Alright then, let's get this show on the road."

"The sooner the better," Qrow added as both men got off the aircraft.

They were greeted by an assorted compliment of UNSC personnel, mostly marines and naval officers. Standing at the front of the group was a middle-aged man wearing a light grey uniform with black shoulder patches and trim. On his left breast was an assortment of medals, while the right displayed his name as "Cmdr. Keyes." Keyes' hair was black, but grey streaks were beginning to emerge that only highlighted the wrinkles on his face. Despite it all, however, Keyes looked sharp and focused, studying Qrow Branwen and the other arrivals as more Pelicans touched down and Johnson walked up to rejoin him.

The rest of Vale's group were the first to arrive. Qrow didn't recognize any of them, nor did he really care. He was far more interested in the fact that he apparently got a flight all to himself. Qrow wondered if that was because he was further out than the rest of Vale's chosen Huntsmen, or if the UNSC had caught wind of his close relationship with Ozpin and as such marked him for special treatment.

Either way, he filed the information away for later as the next Pelican arrived, this one containing the Huntsmen from Atlas. There were four of them, all clad in stark-white and blue-trimmed uniforms that signified them as the Atlesian Ace-Ops. Qrow supposed that wasn't too much of a surprise. The Ace-Ops were, after all, the best of the best in the entire Atlesian military, handpicked by Ironwood himself to go on some of the most dangerous missions on the planet. Clearly they knew it, too, and all of them held a sense of arrogance that seemed natural to Atlesians. At the same time, Qrow couldn't help but notice that Commander Keyes glanced at the Ace-Ops a few times, but he chalked it up to recognizing their military nature then moved on.

Finally, the flight from Menagerie arrived. The only person he recognized getting off the flight was Sienna Khan, the second-in-command of the White Fang and arguably their best fighter. Though that wasn't exactly a high bar for the peaceful activists. The rest of her fighters were all Faunus, as he expected. One was covered in reptilian skin, another had a pair of mouse ears atop her head, and another had feathers on his head instead of hair. The UNSC troops sent them curious looks, most of them having never seen a Faunus before, but the fighters from Menagerie paid them no heed to instead join the others in the middle of the hangar.

Sienna's presence was a mixed bag in Qrow's opinion. On the one hand, the fact that the UNSC had made such a conscious effort to reach out to the Faunus through the White Fang was only a good thing. It certainly spoke to their moral character, at least part of it. But, on the other hand, Sienna had openly been calling for more extreme measures to ensure Faunus equality in the world. While Ghira Belladonna wanted to use words and rhetoric to win over the hearts and minds of others to defeat anti-Faunus bigotry, Sienna was more than happy to push back and retaliate against it. Qrow understood exactly where she was coming from, and in many ways was sympathetic. Some people, no matter how much you tried, wouldn't get the memo any other way. But using violence to obtain goals, no matter how just, opened the door for darker impulses to take hold. Violence tended to be corruptive, and he didn't want to think about what the White Fang might turn into if they opened that box.

Lining up in front of the commander and the UNSC personnel, the Huntsmen and Huntresses from Vale, Atlas, and Menagerie waited in place. Qrow was slightly hunched over, his hands in his pockets as he surveyed the room. The Ace-Ops were standing straight up, their arms tightly clasped against their sides as though they were addressing General Ironwood. Sienna was leaning her weight on one leg for the most part, otherwise crossing her arms while raising an eyebrow towards the UNSC. Everyone else was mixed, some more lackadaisical and casual while others were more serious. Commander Keyes studied them all intently, then walked forward and began to address them.

"My name is Commander Jacob Keyes," he began, pacing back and forth along the line. Qrow couldn't help but notice that one of the UNSC's bulky pistols was strapped to a hip-mounted holster, but Keyes kept his arms folded behind his back.

"On behalf of the entire UNSC, I thank you all for joining us," Keyes continued. "I won't lie to you. What you are about to embark on will be the most difficult and dangerous mission you will have ever faced. The Covenant are not like the Grimm. They are a threat unlike anything you have ever seen before, one driving humanity closer to extinction each and every day. As commander of the UNSC _Midsummer Night_, I will do my best to ensure that you all survive to come home to your families and kingdoms, but I will make you no promises. There is a chance you will die on this mission, either in the void of space or on alien soil farther away from home than anyone in Remnant's history. If that doesn't sit right with you, then you are free to go without judgement."

No one moved a muscle. Instead, everyone stared at Commander Keyes while allowing the gravity of the situation to take hold. Qrow couldn't help but feel his impression of the commander rise. Anyone else would've given a canned speech filled with propaganda or mindless platitudes meant to put their minds at ease, but instead he treated them like the warriors they were and gave it to them straight. There was a chance of them dying on this mission. While any mission on Remnant carried that risk, that was when they were fighting the Grimm, a threat they had trained for years to face. Huntsmen and Huntresses knew how to fight the Grimm, but they couldn't say the same about the Covenant. They had never fought them before, and based off his own experiences when fighting his fellow man, he could tell fighting the Covenant was going to be something far different than what he was used to.

After a few moments, Commander Keyes nodded then began to pace once again. Continuing his speech, he said, "I thought you all would refuse. Good, that proves you have the spirit and strength to do what needs to be done. I suppose, as Huntsmen and Huntresses, you've already been doing that, and while the Grimm and Covenant are two entirely different entities, they are still existential threats to both of us. Like the Grimm, it is not through strength of arms that will win the day. It is only through unity and strength of character that we will emerge victorious.

"Which is why you are here. Only together can humanity survive the Covenant and the Grimm. Are there any questions?"

Keyes looked around the gathered Huntsmen and Huntresses, then one of the Ace-Ops raised her hand. Keyes gestured towards her, and she declared, "Specialist Harriet Bree, Atlesian Ace Operatives. All of our weapons run off of Dust, which does not work outside of Remnant's atmosphere. If it comes down to it, how will we be able to defend ourselves?"

Keyes nodded as it was a fair question, then answered, "During cryosleep, the _Night_'s technicians will be modifying your weapons to accommodate UNSC munitions. With your permission, of course. Otherwise, we plan on running through several of our weapons to supplement your own."

Qrow nodded in understanding, although he wasn't particularly pleased on having anyone touch Harbinger. While his scythe's shotgun took 8-guage shells, much like the UNSC used, they weren't exactly identical. He couldn't assume he could just swap a Remnant 8-guage for a UNSC one. Even a millimeter of difference would render them incompatible. Hopefully, the changes wouldn't have to be extensive, and he planned on inspecting it thoroughly once they were done. Then, to his surprise, Commander Keyes pulled out his pistol and held it up for everyone to see.

"Let's start now, actually. This here is the M6D Personal Defense Weapon System, otherwise known as a magnum," Keyes explained as he paced back and forth, holding the weapon flat. "It fires a .50 caliber semi-armor piercing, high-explosive magnum round at an effective range of 122 meters at 3.5 rounds per second. While its effectiveness against shields is limited, its stopping power cannot be denied."

Keyes stopped his pacing in front of the Ace-Ops, then looked at them. His face scrunched up as though he was trying to decide something. Qrow and everyone else wondered what he was going to do, then to everyone's surprise he gripped the magnum, aimed it right behind the Ace-Ops, and fired a single round. Everyone jumped, but before they could react they saw a young woman in her mid-twenties, no more than two years younger than Qrow himself, with long blue hair tied up in cord stumble back out of thin air, gripping her face that had just been shot.

"Thought I saw something," Keyes calmly remarked as everyone in the room reacted, pulling out their weapons and aiming them at the woman. Three others appeared as well after some kind of invisible bubble collapsed, all of them roughly the same age and holding their hands up in a placating gesture, but no one was amused.

"God, that hurt!" the woman who was shot groaned as she rubbed her nose, thankful that her Aura had taken the blow.

"Good," Keyes replied as UNSC marines encircled the women. "Now then, mind telling me _exactly _who you are and why you are on my ship?"

Drawing closer, Qrow was able to see the four women more clearly. They were all part of the same team, wearing the same symbol of a robin whose wings were raised upwards. One of the women was a sheep faunus with bushy white hair and sheep ears poking out from the side of her head. She was the shortest of the bunch, but didn't seem afraid. In contrast, the tallest of them was a large woman with dark skin and broad shoulders, tattoos on her forehead, nose, and neck who seemed more irritated than anything. The woman with blue hair was finally recomposing herself, still showing some surprise, while the light blonde woman with tan skin at the front of the group remained calm and composed despite the precarious position she found herself in.

"Apologies, Commander," the woman said, keeping her eyes focused on Commander Keyes entirely. "Believe me, I did not wish to be introduced this way, but unfortunately my hand was forced. My name is Robyn Hill, and these are my Happy Huntresses. Fiona Thyme, Joanna Greenleaf, and May Marigold. We're here to represent Mantle in…whatever this is."

* * *

Commander Jacob Keyes stared down Robyn Hill, who met his gaze equally despite the fact that she and her Huntresses were surrounded by hundreds of guns, both from his marines as well as the Huntsmen and Huntresses who were purposefully brought on board.

"Robyn, what have you done?" the apparent leader of the Ace-Ops, a man named Clover Ebi, asked. With his arms exposed and short, neatly spiked brown hair, he was nearly picture perfect as the head of the Ace-Ops. Why he was using a fishing pole as his weapon was anyone's guess, but Keyes decided to ignore it for the more pressing matter. At the same time, he silently sent a message to Shakespeare, the _Midsummer Night's_ onboard AI, to pull everything he could about Robyn Hill and her compatriots.

"Indeed, Ms. Hill. You and your 'Happy Huntresses' have broken into a UNSC military vessel. It would be within my rights to have you all executed," he pointed out, trying to remain calm despite the anger in his voice.

"How did you even find out about this? This mission was top secret," Clover pointed out, and Robyn looked at him.

"I have contacts everywhere, Clover. Just because I didn't join the military like you doesn't mean I'm blind," Robyn answered. "They let me know something was going down, that the kingdoms were gathering Huntsmen and Huntresses to go with the UNSC on some off-world mission. A mission that affects _everybody_, and once again Atlas decided to completely forget about Mantle despite my attempts to get representation on this mission. When General Ironwood denied everything then refused my calls, I took action."

Robyn looked around the room once again, then admitted, "In hindsight, probably not the best move."

"No kidding," Johnson mumbled, keeping his assault rifle trained on the four Huntresses. "Unless you were planning to stay as invisible stowaways for a whole year."

"Commander Keyes, our sincerest apologies for our lack of security," Vine Zeki, another member of the Ace-Ops, said while keeping his eyes and his chakram-like weapon focused on the Happy Huntresses. "Allow us to return to Atlas so that they may be placed in custody."

Keyes kept his magnum trained on them, tempted to accept Zeki's offer and wash his hands of the entire situation, but at the same time his gaze briefly shifted towards May Marigold. Thoughts began to swirl in his head, and while keeping his pistol aimed at Robyn, he asked her, "May, was it? I take it you were the one who made them invisible?"

May Marigold looked at Commander Keyes then nodded. She replied, "Yes, my Semblance can make myself and a small group of people near me invisible. Eyes, cameras, thermals, everything. Frankly, I'm surprised you even saw me. No one else has."

"I have good eyes on me," Keyes admitted, then shifted his attention back towards Robyn as Shakespeare finally sent him the gathered information on her and her compatriots.

Bringing his datapad up to his face, he quickly read the gathered intelligence. What he saw was impressive. Robyn, Fiona, Joanna, and May had all graduated several years before from Atlas Academy at the top of their class. They were considered to be shoe-ins for the upper echelons of the Atlesian Military, which most of their fellow students joined after graduation. But, to everyone's surprise and Atlas' disappointment, they instead chose not to in favor of becoming Huntresses focusing on servicing Mantle. They had only been active for a few years, but already they had carved a significant reputation among the Mantlese citizens as defenders of the people.

"Miss Hill, you're saying you're here to represent Mantle," Jacob Keyes pointed out. "Mind clarifying what you mean by that?"

"Yes, please," Elm Ederne, a large woman who made up the last of the Ace-Ops, remarked, holding her hammer at the ready. "General Ironwood selected us to represent Atlas on this mission."

"He did, yes, but do you represent Mantle, too?" Robyn asked, and Elm shot her head back in offense.

"What? Of course we do! Mantle is a part of Atlas!"

"And I suppose that's why you're being deployed with the approval of the elected representatives of the _entire_ Kingdom's Council then, right? Oh wait, I forgot, they don't know about this secret mission of yours and the only authority you're answering to is your precious General Ironwood," Robyn retorted, narrowing her eyes towards the Ace-Ops. "First he controls the military, now the Academy, and _now_ he's making special arrangements with the UNSC behind the rest of our backs? All of Atlas' attention and resources go into the city of Atlas, while the only attention Mantle gets is the occasional updating of our heating grid. Tell me, when was the last time any of you Ace-Ops even set foot in Mantle?"

Clover, Elm, Harriet and Vine narrowed their eyes. After a few moments, Clover sighed and shook his head in resignation while Harriet outwardly scowled and clenched her fists, but Jacob's expression softened somewhat. The UNSC was more than aware, and concerned, about the stark inequality present between Atlas and Mantle. Mantle used to be the seat of the entire kingdom, but after the Great War, the city of Atlas was erected and risen into the sky. It was meant to serve as an uplifting symbol for the defeated nation, but after only a few short years all of the resources and wealth flocked away from Mantle and into Atlas. While Atlas itself became incredibly wealthy and secure, Mantle became poor and downtrodden, only meant to serve Atlas with raw materials while they got the scraps left behind. It reminded Keyes and the UNSC far too much about the environment that gave birth to the Insurrection all those decades ago, where the Inner Colonies held all the wealth and power while the Outer Colonies supplied much needed raw materials. As their own experience proved, it was a dynamic that proved impossible to maintain.

Robyn seemed to recognize the look on Jacob's face, and she seized the moment to continue her pitch, "Commander, believe me when I say that we did not want to do this. My first attempt was to reach out to General Ironwood, but he dismissed my concerns about Mantle not being properly represented while denying any off-world mission was taking place. I tried reaching out to the UNSC directly, but I was blocked from doing so. Sneaking in was the only option we had left. By sending only the Ace-Ops, none of whom are from Mantle, we are once again being viewed as an afterthought."

"That's not true, Robyn," Clover pleaded. "That is not what General Ironwood was saying when he picked us. His only concern was picking people he trusted completely for a mission this important."

"And I don't think he intended to," Robyn admitted, turning her head towards Clover. "But the problem, intentional or not, is that's the message Ironwood sent to the people of Mantle. A message that Atlas has been sending for decades. Most of our leaders are from Atlas, most of our businesses are owned by Atlesians, and any policies enacted primarily benefit Atlas. By sending only the Ace-Ops on this highly important, and top-secret, mission, General Ironwood is basically telling Mantle that he doesn't trust them enough to bring them to the table. All I'm asking is for you to show us otherwise."

Jacob Keyes narrowed his eyes, then asked, "So what is it that you want?"

"To represent Mantle on this mission," Robyn answered, then pointed at the datapad. "I know that you've read our files, so you'll see that all of us are highly trained and skilled Huntresses on par with the Ace-Ops. The only real difference between us and them is that they have fancier equipment. More importantly, we're a voice that Mantle explicitly trusts. If we tell Mantle that this…Covenant is real and that we need to cooperate with the UNSC to survive, they'll trust us a lot more than General Ironwood."

"…Hmm," Jacob hummed, still keeping his pistol trained on Robyn.

He looked back at May Marigold, thinking about the applications of her invisibility Semblance. It was able to get them past both the Ace-Ops and the UNSC marines sent to recover them from Atlas. While part of him was worried about how, exactly, they found out about this meeting in the first place, given who was currently in Atlas he had a fair idea as to who sent them his way. Something this convoluted certainly seemed like her style, especially if she came to some of the same conclusions he had.

Robyn then gestured towards Fiona, who nodded towards her leader and held out her hand. A shimmering gold light then came out, and to his surprise a vial of refined Dust powder emerged. Fiona said, "Ms. Bree mentioned how Dust doesn't work outside of atmosphere. Well, my Semblance allows me to hold objects in pocket dimensions. I don't know if it'll work, but it's possible that we can store all the Dust munitions we need in there for our use, bypassing that limitation entirely."

Everyone stared at Fiona as she returned the Dust to her pocket dimension. Her file had talked about how she was able to make them, but seeing them in action up close was something entirely different. Jacob ran through his options, trying to determine what was the best course of action. On the one hand, Robyn and the Happy Huntresses had snuck onto a UNSC military vessel without authorization, which was a serious offense. He would be well within his rights to simply absolve himself of the matter and let the Ace-Ops arrest them, but the more he thought about it, the more he thought about the benefits of letting them stay.

Robyn was right, the disparity between Mantle and Atlas was too big to ignore. The Insurrection taught the UNSC that more than once, and it was only due to the Covenant's arrival that those issues were swept aside, if only temporarily. While the UNSC certainly couldn't say that all of their issues were anywhere near being resolved, that didn't preclude them from making apt observations. Mantle was hurting, even now, and having a popular and well-respected face to represent them would do well to bolster the UNSC's image. It was the same train of thought the UNSC followed in inviting the White Fang along with the other four kingdoms, regardless of local disputes of legitimacy and sovereignty. By having Robyn join in, Keyes would be effectively telling Mantle that the UNSC considered them equal to Atlas, making them much more amenable to their needs.

Then there was the issue of Robyn's Happy Huntresses themselves. Their records didn't lie, and all of them were highly skilled and accomplished Huntresses. If the _Midsummer Night_ was forced to engage the Covenant, having them around might prove to be a useful asset. Being able to turn invisible was an advantage Covenant Stealth Elites had exploited time and again across the war, and despite the UNSC's best efforts, so far they hadn't managed to crack it. But now here was a woman able to do that by, as Catherine so eloquently put it, thinking really hard. Not just herself, but others as well. The prospect of giving the Covenant a taste of their own medicine was almost salivating, but not as much as the potential of being able to use Dust weapons outside of Remnant should the need arise. Right now, neither the UNSC nor Remnant knew if Dust failed to work outside of Remnant's atmosphere due to a unique quirk to the planet or if any planetary body would work. If Fiona's Semblance could bypass the restriction created from Remnant's atmosphere, they could find out for sure. That discovery, alone, would make it worth it. Besides, they already knew about the mission's existence and about the Covenant. Secrecy was still of the utmost importance, and having the Happy Huntresses imprisoned back in Atlas was no guarantee that further leaks would cease. Keeping them close by would ensure that wouldn't happen, at least until they were ready.

Slowly, Jacob Keyes realized that, while not ideal, the UNSC had more to gain by accepting Robyn's offer than by turning her away. It would give them four additional assets for the field, extend an olive branch to Mantle, and allow them to cheaply test something that the UNSC desperately wanted to know.

That didn't mean, however, that he could conveniently ignore the probable cons of this course of action. Despite Robyn's unofficial clout and her arguments for why her team's presence was no less legitimate than any of the other groups here, they still weren't actually operating with the backing of a legitimate authority. Unless he gave his own, and through him, the UNSC's.

Moreover, General Ironwood was quickly proving to be one of the UNSC's most accommodating and influential contacts among Remnant's leaders, and his lack of response to Robyn's initial requests made his disapproval of their involvement implicitly clear. To then go over his head by taking on the Happy Huntresses regardless could prove to be quite the slap in his face. Jacob could hardly be called an expert in Atlesian politics, and for all he knew any goodwill he gained with Mantle would be matched by an equal loss in Atlas. Though he was willing to wager that they had already earned enough regard with the General for him to let this relatively minor snub slide after the news reached him, probably with some kind of appeasement attached for the diplomats to handle.

"…Alright, but I'll have to clear it with the Admiral first," Keyes remarked, lowering his weapon. Everyone, even the Happy Huntresses and most definitely the Ace-Ops, looked at him in surprise, although both Johnson and Qrow had clearly come to the exact same conclusion he did.

"Commander, you can't be serious?" Harriet asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes, I am," Keyes confirmed, glancing at the specialist from the corner of his eye.

"Sir, I understand that this is your ship, but I must protest this course of action," Clover said. "I'm not going to dispute Robyn's credentials, and her Happy Huntresses would bring much to the field if needed, but the fact remains that she inserted herself onto this mission without proper authorization nor approval. She represents a massive security risk that needs to be properly dealt with."

"I understand and respect those concerns," Keyes replied as he holstered his sidearm. "But I believe that, in this situation, we stand more to gain by allowing this one-time exception to the norm than by strictly following protocol. If you're worried about your Ace-Ops, Specialist, do know that I will take full responsibility for this."

The Ace-Ops looked at each other, clearly wanting to protest further, but after a moment Clover sighed and nodded. "Of course, sir. This is your ship and I'll respect your decision, but I don't think the General will be as inclined to agree."

Keyes nodded back in understanding, then turned his head back towards the Happy Huntresses, "Welcome aboard, Miss Hill."

Robyn smiled, happy that her concerns were being properly addressed, but before she could say anything, though, Keyes added, "Still, the fact remains that you still broke into my ship, Miss Hill. That's a gross violation of UNSC law. As such, you and your Happy Huntresses are effectively under arrest for the duration of this mission and will be placed under constant guard and supervision at all times. Specialist Ebi, can I trust the Ace-Ops to handle that responsibility?"

While the Ace-Ops were clearly uncomfortable with the change in plans, they nodded in agreement, nonetheless. Keyes nodded back, then turned towards Robyn Hill and gave her a harsh glare. With his voice low, he growled, "Give me any reason to believe that you'll put the mission in jeopardy and I will throw you out the airlock myself. Got it?"

Robyn stared at the commander for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Of course, Commander, and thank you for understanding. I'll be honest, I didn't think you'd accept."

"You made a sound argument, if not delivered correctly," he admitted, then straightened himself once again. He turned back towards the gathered Huntsmen, Huntresses, and marines, then ordered, "All hands, dismissed. Sergeant Johnson, please escort the Huntsmen and Huntresses to their assigned cryobays. Once we reach orbit, we'll go into freeze and set off towards Harvest. Miss Hill, please follow me towards the bridge so that I may bring you and your Huntresses up to speed."

The marines saluted, then everyone went off to perform their assigned duties. The hangar bay doors slowly sealed shut, then the _Midsummer Night_ began to climb through the atmosphere towards the outer reaches of space.

"So, quick question," Qrow called out as he and the others followed Johnson. "What did the good commander mean by 'cryobay?'"

[~][~]

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the latest chapter of _Dust and Echoes_! Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for their help in bringing this to life.

Qrow's mission to verifying whether or not the Covenant exists is now underway, if with a little unexpected change of plans. How will this unfold? You guys will have to wait and see, but I'm personally very exited to finally be diving into the real meat of the story. Things are going to be very exciting.

Now, onto the Q&A:

**SFMC: **Thank you, glad you're enjoying the story so far. As for downplaying UNSC capabilities, I'm trying to avoid what a lot of Halo crossovers do and show the UNSC as some unstoppable juggernaut of a polity. In the original Halo trilogy, which this story is largely set in, the UNSC are underdogs and I intend to follow that. Plus they were acting largely in the dark against things they really had no experience against while trying to stay as diplomatic as possible. Hence no orbital bombardments or free use of WMDs.

**Cyberpunk1-009: **Normally she isn't, but in this case she made an exception. Otherwise, yes it's just Ackerson. As for the UNSC's relationship with Remnant, including the Faunus, I intend to show that in the story proper. I'm also glad you enjoyed the Blue Team vs Haki fight. She was only in the story for two chapters, but she served her purpose well and I'm glad that people got so attached to her in such a short amount of time. I'm also glad you've been enjoying the pace of the story. We're working very hard to make sure everything flows smoothly and makes sense. The last thing we want is to rush things and create plot holes. Why do you think we're only now getting into the Covenant? I wanted to build up to that. If this story was structured like a season of RWBY, we'd have just passed the mid-season finale. Now we're diving into the second half of season 1, which has large implications for the future.

**Alien Ghoul: **You'll have to wait and see exactly what the Brothers were in this story.

**FloridaMan722: **Glad you've been enjoying the story so far, and yeah we have a lot in store. As for interactions with Salem, you're gonna have to wait and see.

**Ghostly: **How Remnant reacts to the Covenant's existence will be shown in due time, don't worry.

**Shadowwolf1997: **Glad you're enjoying the story so far.

**Mr. SALTY: **You guys will have to wait and see whether or not I show that glorious moment.

**NexusPrime42: **Well, they're not having a good time at the moment, I'll tell you that.

**BOOTYboy: **I've been a fan of Halo since Halo 3. It was the first one I ever played, and even now Halo is my favorite sci-fi franchise. The characters, the universe, everything. I'm also a massive fan of RWBY, so I really wanted to cross them over. So far, I think it's worked out tremendously, and I'm glad so many people enjoy it.

**franco1234: **Remember, though, the UNSC has no idea the Great Schism is even a possibility, and really what they're looking for is the creation of time. Yes, the war is really won out in space, but battles on the ground are equally important. Some of the most pivotal moments in the war were fought primarily on the ground, which the Huntsmen and Huntresses would be a tremendous boon towards. That being said, don't expect things to just turn around for the UNSC. They're still losing by the time RWBY enters Beacon, they're just losing at a slower pace.

**phoenix emperor 23: **Summer, unless the show proves otherwise (which is very unlikely), is dead. So no.

**Mr. Salty: **Happy to hear it!

**Guest (1): **Yeah, had this been before the Covenant, things might have gone very differently. Same as if the Insurrectionists found Remnant first. Luckily for everyone, though, they met how and when they did. That isn't to say things are going to go completely smooth, though. There's going to be tension.

**SPRTN544: **That they did, and they did not take it very well. I mean, how else would you react to hearing about a genocidal collective of aliens who want to wipe you out just because you exist? Frankly, how they reacted was the best they could in this situation. And yeah, expect to see UNSC/Remnant personnel interactions in the story where appropriate. Some will be good, some will be bad, it's just how it is.

**Guest (2): **You'll have to wait and see if the Flood are involved in this story.

**War: **Lord Hood isn't part of the Security Council yet because Cole's still alive. He rose to Cole's position after his death. As for Osman, she's still Parangosky's protege, and the Security Council I showed was the one from during the war for the most part.

**Evinco: **You'll have to wait and see.

**Proto 150: **Try not to ask about future events in the story. You're not going to get an answer beyond "Wait and see."

**roting-CORPSE: **You'll have to wait and see if that happens.

**mellra:** Yeah, don't expect things to follow canon 1 to 1. Especially the RWBY side of things, as so much has changed from the beginning due to the UNSC's arrival. As for other Halo characters, yes they will appear as needed.

**shados960: **Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter so much. It was a very important one to really show just what was going to happen next. One of the things I really like to do in my stories is show characters sitting around and talking/discussing/planning things out rather than just doing. It allows me to really dive into their characters, beliefs, motivations, etc. Plus it makes the world seem more alive. And yeah, how the leaders of Remnant reacted to the Covenant's existence was the real deal. So far they've only gotten hints about them, but now they know the truth and it was far worse than anything they expected. Them wanting to verify the UNSC's word was a very understandable reaction, and sets into motion the chain of events regarding the rest of this arc.

**I Am The Prophet: **Yes, there will be, and no I am not leaving out the Master Chief. He's one of the main characters in this story, but the SPARTANs are still classified at the moment. As such, for this arc and for a while don't expect a lot of SPARTAN/Huntsmen interactions. They'll come in, but later.

**BlackDevil1942: **You'll have to wait and see how Salem reacts to all of this.

**The-Killer40513: **Yes, but at the moment the Atlesian Knight program is fairly new.

**EvaShinobiKaiserKnight: **You will have to wait and see.

**Jackboot: **Oh, ONI definitely going to be up to some shit. But remember, like the pre-Karen Traviss ONI, here they're the token evil teammate of humanity. They'll do some horrendous stuff, but all in the name of ensuring humanity's survival. They won't do evil thins for the lolz, essentially.

**ShinP: **Yep, that is on the way.

**naufalrakha0104: **Nope, Aura and Semblances are unaffected. Dust, however, is an open question.

**23debal01: **Please try to avoid double-posting the same review in the future. Also, I don't take requests for my stories. Whether or not characters get something or do something will happen because I want it to for the sake of the story.

**GXY-2013: **Winter's still fairly young at this point and hasn't entered the Atlesian military yet. That's still a few years away.

**AXL999: **It's definitely dangerous, that's for sure.

**SulliMike23: **Remember, the Grimm and the Covenant are two entirely different kinds of threats. They're dangerous, but in different ways.

**Strike Wyvern: **Oh yeah, things are definitely going to get interesting.

**Sigma-del-Prisium: **Yep, the UNSC is pulling out all the stops here. They _really_ want Remnant on their side, and are willing to give quite a lot to ensure it happens. Things are changing, and you guys will have to wait and see what forms that takes.

**D. : **Yep, they're going into space now. Fun times ahead.

**axel100: **Yeah, the UNSC knows a lot and shared it with Remnant's leaders for the purposes of this mission, but they don't know everything.

**Steelrain66: **We actually don't know how old Winter is compared to Weiss. Personally, I say 5 to 10 years older, but definitely much younger than Qrow. Regardless, she's not in the military just yet, and won't be for a while.

**shadyxlr: **Yep, things are picking up. We're now diving into the real meat of this story, and I can't wait to show you all what's in store.

**Jack Smith1: **My preferred type of fanfiction are crossovers, and I like to really explore every facet of it. Can't say what other types of crossovers I plan to do, though.

**Vein Bloodborne: **Yep, and what they'll find will shock them.

**Major Simi: **There's always a bigger fish.

That's it for this time. I hope you all enjoy and let us know what you think!


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